


The Dark Lord, The Witch and the Time-Portal

by Chausie_Morgan



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Gender Changes, Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Ancient magic, Angst, Basilisks, Bigotry & Prejudice, Bullying, Denial of Feelings, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Enemies to Lovers, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Falling In Love, Female Friendship, Female Harry Potter, Female Protagonist, First Crush, First Love, Forbidden Love, Genderbending, Harry in Denial, Heir of Slytherin, Hogwarts Chamber of Secrets, Hogwarts Prefects, Idiots in Love, Internal Conflict, Legilimency, Love/Hate, Male-Female Friendship, Moral Dilemmas, Multi, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Occlumency, Other, Parselmouth Harry Potter, Parselmouths, Parseltongue, Potion Brewing (Harry Potter), Power Dynamics, Pre-Canon, Pureblood Culture (Harry Potter), Pureblood Society (Harry Potter), Purebloods (Harry Potter), Quidditch, Quidditch Player Harry Potter, Rule 63, Sane Tom Riddle, Self-Denial, Slow Burn, Slytherin Harry Potter, Slytherin Politics, Soul Bond, Soulmates, Strong Female Characters, Time Magic, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, Time Travelling Harry Potter, Tomboy, Twin Wands, Unrequited Crush, Unrequited Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-10-11
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:28:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 13
Words: 74,026
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23695441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chausie_Morgan/pseuds/Chausie_Morgan
Summary: After Sirius' death in the Ministry, Holly Potter finds herself with the opportunity to travel back in time to attend again her fifth year in Hogwarts, at 1942, having Tom Riddle as classmate.She has the chance to carve a path that will guarantee a peaceful future for her friends, family and dearest ones, saving the world from Lord Voldemort's influence.The first step on her mission is to prevent Tom Riddle to open the Chamber of Secrets and avoid the murder of Myrtle Warren, also known as 'Moaning Myrtle'. But what may happen after that?She will meet the teenager who can turn into the most powerful Dark Wizard of all times before he commit his first murder. Is he beyond redemption or can he be saved from walking a dark path? Will she be able to gain his friendship or they are bound to be declared enemies forever?Will she be able to see the face of her godfather again and finally meet her blood parents? What about Ron, Hermione and Draco? Will Holly be able to survive the years to see them again?The possibilities are infinite and uncertain.
Relationships: Cedric Diggory/Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy/Harry Potter, Harry Potter/Tom Riddle, Sirius Black & Harry Potter
Comments: 292
Kudos: 799





	1. The Room of Requirement

“ **New Beginnings are often disguised as painful endings.”**

― Lao Tzu

  
  


Sirius is dead. It happened just two days ago, at the battle inside the Ministry. Holly Potter never felt so angered by her own stupidity. She couldn't put away the feeling that her dear godfather's death was her fault —in the heat of the moment she always act before thinking, like a moron. But now was too late to fix that mistake, from now on she will have to think twice before doing anything too risky. She also felt miserable for putting the lives of her friends in danger, it could be much worse if they were dead too.

  
  


The petite witch was brooding inside the Room of Hidden Things, laying down on an old couch, surrounded by lots of curious and mysterious artifacts — most of them were junk or undesirable things. All she did these last days was mourn, curse herself and weep a lot. She cried her heart's out at the point her body wasn't capable of letting her cry anymore, her tears dried, leaving her with a puffy red face along with an intense headache. Her chest tightened in pain, like she was stabbed by a knife that lingered inside her. It was too painful, Sirius was her world and like a father to her.

  
  


Voldemort's presence had cursed her life since she was a baby. He killed her parents, so she was raised by her mother's sister and her husband. The Dursleys were muggles who hated wizards and witches and she felt it on her skin for being one, even though she had no idea until she turned eleven and met Hagrid, who gave her her Hogwarts letter and explained she was a witch. Holly had been mistreated her entire childhood, growing up in a home without love, were her relatives treated her like a freak.

  
  


Well, even among wizards and witches she  was considered a freak too, being the only known survivor of the killing curse and a Parselmouth. 

  
  


_'_ _Thanks again, Voldemort_ ! '

  
  


According to Dumbledore, Holly was able to understand and talk to snakes because Voldemort somehow transferred some of his powers to her at the night he tried to kill her. Magic works in mysterious ways, so her parseltongue ability could be also a passive trait from some ancestor of her. Probably the Headmaster was right, but who knows? 

  
  


Her years in Hogwarts were always difficult and her life was threatened so many times she lost count. But the real hell  began on her fourth year, when  most of her House  ' friends ' and the rest of school turned their backs against her after her name was sorted on the Goblet of Fire. Holly was forced to compete  i n  a magical contest and at the last task, near the end of the school term,  W ormtail, faithful servant of Voldemort, killed her boyfriend, Cedric Diggory, who she started to date just after the first task. And of course, Voldemort was back again to torment her life , this time with a real body!

  
  


The fourth year and Cedric’s lost were so painful that she didn't expect the fifth year would be ten times worse. She was nearly expelled from Hogwarts, mistreated by almost the entire school again, considered a delusional liar  for affirming Voldemort had returned. She had painful migraines on her scar, was tortured and scarred by Dolores Umbridge  with her freaking  B lood  Q uill and  completely  ignored by Dumbledore. Holly never felt so alone in her entire life. That considering she grew up inside a fucking cupboard! And now, to  ' ice the cake ' , her dear godfather Sirius was dead. She never felt so hopeless and hollow before. Who else she would los t in her life because of  Voldemort ? Would it be possible for her to be truly happy  i n her future or she would always face losses or make sacrifices to help ungrateful people?

  
  


Sirius Black was her only family and hope of being finally free from the Dursleys,  as soon as they could prove his innocence. These last two days of the term she used to grief his lost and reflect about her life and problems. She was tired to suffer and feel lonely. It seemed that just when she was truly happy with a good prospect for her uncertain future, feeling hope of better days to come… as soon as something close to that happened, it was just to be taken away from her. It appeared Holly Potter was supposed to be miserable forever, the best moments never lasting.

  
  


Holly only had two comforts in this shitty last year besides her best friends and Sirius — The Dumbledore’s Army and Draco Malfoy.

  
  


Yes, the two of them kept a s a secret  their friendship with benefits since November of their fifth year. Even Hermione  had no clue  about that.

  
  


Their "affair" started in a strange way, after Draco found her alone and dragged her inside an empty classroom, so he could insult her in private or whatever. Who knows? She wasn't a Legilimens to know the thoughts happening inside that pretty blonde head.

  
  


It wasn't the first time that happened , Draco acted oddly the previous years too, and Holly was already suspicious about his  behavior ,  specially after some talks with Sirius. Draco provoked her constantly, seemed to loathe her, but at the same time, he was always trying to find excuses to be alone just to mock or insult her. He constantly seemed nervous by her presence and she didn't think he was afraid of being hexed. After all, they dueled constantly and these times alone were just different, like he maybe wanted to tell her something else but didn't have the balls to do so.

  
  


That day she had enough, was too tired and angered with lots of things and wasn't in her best state of mind, so she pulled him down by his tie when he was in the middle of a sentence and kissed him on the mouth. Holly only wanted to tease him and never expected he would kiss her back. 

  
  


Draco reciprocated her and they had a strange chemistry together, an angry sexual tension built by years only leashing out that day. They kissed hungrily, Holly allowing him to explore her body with his hands while she did the same with him. Holly wasn't caring at all about the consequences of her acts and just needed to blow off some steam. She didn’t even care if Draco just wanted to use her because she was doing the same to him. Holly didn't care either about the possibility that he would throw that on her face and mock her in front of the entire school, perhaps calling her a whore or any other depreciative names.

  
  


_'_ _Fuck everything and everyone_!'

  
  


Consequently Draco wanted much more than just kiss or touch her, and Holly let him do as he pleased.

Part of her wished him to be a brute and hurt her, so she provoked him to do it, telling him to fuck her rough and wildly. She wanted to hate everything about it, to feel regret or used. She wanted her body to be ravaged in a way that made her hate Draco with all her heart. Her mind was sick and she knew it, but she didn't care, feeling abandoned by everyone. Malfoy being a jerk wouldn't be a surprise after all...

  
  


So the last thing Holly expected was actually enjoying all that roughness as much as him. The sex was wild and intense, Holly clawed his back until his pale skin was covered in bloodied red marks. Thanks Merlin he didn't leave her with any visible hickeys. The sex with Draco was the opposite she was used to do with Cedric and it was very awkward when they finished, they couldn't even stare at each other, keeping in silence while they adjusted their clothes and cleaned up things. Holly left the classroom first without saying her goodbyes to him. 

  
  


It wasn't like she was ashamed of what they did, she liked it and felt no regrets. But she couldn't expect him to be sweet or gentle with her after that, so the better way to act was to give him a cold shoulder, trying to act like the sex they did was nothing out of the ordinary.

  
  


On the next day, Malfoy picked up a fight with Holly in front of his Slytherin thugs provoking her the same way as always. Both of them expecting the other to say something about what happened between them the night before. Neither of them did that.

  
  


At night of that same day, Draco  dragged her inside another empty classroom and they make out again. Their first three o r four encounters were just like that, but as time passed by, they started to talk more and hear each other's problems.

  
  


And that was the beginning of an unusual secret affair between Holly Potter and Draco Malfoy. A sassy 'Romeo and Juliet' of rival Houses. _Frenemies with benefits_.

  
  


Of course Holly never trusted  Draco completely, so she just shared some harmless secrets and complaints with him, and truth be told, he never spilled any tiny bit of information in front of no one, at least as much as she was aware of . And he also helped her behind the curtains countless times, like a double agent inside Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad. Of course he couldn't always save her butt without rais ing suspicions, but Holly was aware of that. He did  as much as he could, what was much more than she would ever expect from him, she was very grateful .

  
  


Obviously they needed to keep the appearances, so their treatment in front of others didn't change. Draco still acted like a jerk and Holly acted like she truly despised him. But as the months passed, when they were alone it wasn't just sex anymore, they comforted and supported each other, at least a little bit.

  
  


Draco wasn't as wary as Holly regarding his own secrets, so she learned a lot about him and the façade he tried to maintain to keep  appearances. The mask he used in front of his Slytherin fellows had  lots  of insecurities to hide.

  
  


Draco was very sincere to her about a lot of other things, like the fact in the upcoming future they probably would need to fight against each other. He didn't want to join Voldemort out of free will, but he needed to be  at his family side and couldn't risk the lives of his parents. Holly understood well. She had her own friends to protect, but at the same time it was clear how conflicted Draco was about the imminent war. 

  
  


They didn't met after what happened inside the Ministry and Holly knew that their secret affair was  near its end. Lucius Malfoy, Draco's dad, was involved  i n the attack there and was one of the Death Eaters captured,  _stupefied_ by Holly.

  
  


Holly noticed Draco's feelings growing stronger day after day and the pain it was causing him. As much as he was good to mask his feelings, Holly knew he wasn't faking any of it. Maybe it was easier for him to trust her than the opposite. And maybe that's why she didn't correspond his feelings, even though she liked to be in his arms or cuddle after sex, it was just a good sensation, Holly never felt secure or protected in his presence. The strange relationship they had was frail as a sheet of glass, Holly frequently expected a betrayal that never happened, but it was only a matter of time. At least in her opinion.

  
  


Holly didn't love Draco or anything, but t ruth be told,  she never experienced a true romantic love. She liked Cedric and he was a good person, but their relationship was brief and it was based mostly on physical attraction and the ir mutual passion for Quidditch. 

  
  


Cedric was far more trustworthy than Draco, but they didn't have too much in common like she had with the Slytherin. Of course they also had a history of being rivals since the first year, but if Voldemort didn't exist, maybe a relationship with Draco could work. However it wasn't a possibility to consider with lives at stake and another war approaching.

Holly met a side of Draco she never expected to see. Slytherins were indeed full of masks and mysteries. She asked herself who else in Slytherin wasn't so bad as she thought.

  
  


Her mind was drawn to the memories of her second year and the flawless image of Tom Riddle in the Diary. Model student, smart, tall, handsome, Prefect of Slytherin and future Head Boy. Also heir of Slytherin and the true responsible to open the Chamber of Secrets, causing Hagrid’s expulsion and the death of Myrtle Warren — the ghost known as Moaning Myrtle. 

  
  


Tom Riddle was a true wolf  i n sheep's  clothing  and unfortunately Holly's first crush. Of course she didn't know at the time he was baby Voldemort. She was only twelve years old!

  
  


Her mind beg a n to wonder about him , i f Tom was always a true devil or if he could have been saved from the darkness that tainted his soul. According to Dumbledore  i n her first year, Voldemort never experienced love in his life or understood it.  Tom Riddle never had friends or family. Was Dumbledore so certain of th at or just being presumptuous?

  
  


She remembered the facts she discovered about Voldemort inside the Diary's memories. He was a half-blood orphan just like her , raised  i n a muggle orphanage. He asked for the Headmaster at the time to let him stay in Hogwarts  at the summer, just like she asked the same thing to Dumbledore  at her first year. He didn't seem to like that place. It  could be because the war  but her mind wondered at the possibility of his childhood  being similar  to hers, mistreated by adults and other children, treated like a freak, maybe also feeling hungry, scared and lonely . The Dursleys always f ou nd excuses to let her starve and skip meals . That was why Holly  was tinier than other children  at her age  and didn't grow up  so much even after  eating  all the food she could in Hogwarts. Ron constantly mocked the fact she could passes as a third year or a taller second year, but he  was oblivious about  the cruel truth behind  her short height.

  
  


U nlike Holly Potter , Tom  Riddle  was  very tall, so he probably didn't have the same problem with food and meals as her.

  
  


Besides the height difference, she remembered the Diary pointing out that Holly and Tom shared some similarities and coincidences between them — Half-bloods, orphans, raised by muggles, they both black haired with pale skin, Parselmouths...

  
  


And Tom  Riddle had no idea Holly was almost sorted in the same House as him and the fact they had twin wands. Oh, and a crazy prophecy entangl ing their fates together.

  
  


Holly knew Tom was poor and considering he had his father's muggle name and surname, Tom almost certainly was considered a 'mudblood' in Slytherin. If he indeed had no friends, he probably suffered hell in his first years, counting only with himself and his wits. He needed to be really sturdy to not be chewed and spat away in a House that valued blood purity, status, wealth, influence and power. That's probably why he was so obsessed with the latter.

  
  


Tom acted wrong and did lots of evil things, yet Holly could relate, even with the scarce information she possessed about him. She was pretty similar to him until her eleven years — without friends, love and full of bad feelings, sadness and anger. If she didn’t meet Ron, Hermione, and Hagrid, how would be her first year at Hogwarts? Of course she still had money and status, after all she was 'the girl-who-survived', the hero of the wizarding world. But what if she was like him in every aspect, would she be corrupted as the years passed?

  
  


She remembered Hermione crying alone in the bathroom of their first year. Until today, Hermione  is only close friends with her and Ron,  lots of people still think ing she is an annoying "know-it-all". If  Hermione didn't have Holly and Ron to watch her back , would she cry inside the bathroom until her fift h year like Myrtle did?

  
  


Ron is a pure-blood. He has a loving family and  six siblings who also love him. He is also very good  in making friends and talk ing to other boys, except Slytherins. He has  his own insecurities about being poor, but people  i n Gryffindor never turned their backs at him like they did with Holly or Hermione.

  
  


B oth Hermione and Ron grew up being loved by their families . Holly would easily give up her money and family status just to have the same as them . What about Tom that had neither? Even with her friends she felt so lonely and misunderstood sometimes...

  
  


Holly kn e w well how fe lt to be unwanted and undesired, living  most of her life with the Dursleys , a nd she also kn e w well how people  could be flickery and untrustworthy. At her first year,  lots of people wanted to be friends with "the girl - who - lived".  At her second year,  after they discovered she is a Parselmouth, that was the first time people she considered friends avoided her and whispered things behind her back. Even Ron and Hermione  appeared wary by the fact she could speak with snakes .  It was when Holly discovered she was a freak not just among muggles, but also among wizards and witches. There was  lots  of unfounded prejudice towards  Parselmouths , Holly learned that the worst way. Tom was a freak like her, capable to talk to snakes and understand them. She wondered if he kept that as a secret until he turned into Voldemort or if he  always liked to scare people . If he was considered popular and charming , the answer was very clear .

  
  


The second time people turned their backs  on her was  at the Triwizard  Tournament. The last time was this year, people  gossiped she was delusional and a liar. And now, Sirius is dead. Is it really worth to risk her life and her friend's, fighting Voldemort to save a world full of people who despised and abandoned her so easily?

  
  


She thought about Ron, Hermione, the Weasleys , Hagrid and Lupin. If she didn't had them, their love and their friendship... would she be corrupted and evil like Tom Riddle? Wanting revenge at  everyone who hurt her?

  
  


Like she did with Bellatrix, who took the life from her dear godfather?

  
  


After Sirius' murder, Holly ran after Bellatrix Lestrange by  countless corridors and rooms inside the Ministry, until she cornered the older witch . Holly used the  _Cruciatus_ spell, an Unforgivable, with all her will. She felt a lot of pleasure seeing that bitch  squirming and trembling on the ground, screaming, begging her to stop. Death wouldn't be enough for her after what she did to Holly, killing her precious Godfather, she wanted  see  Bellatrix  losing her mind like  Bellatrix did  with Neville's parents. Still wants, actually.

  
  


Voldemort was the one  who caught her in the act. He  saved his faithful Death Eater after appreciating for a few seconds the grave sin committed by Holly Potter. She couldn't forget the predatory grin  plastered on his snake-face .

  
  


Holly couldn't stop ruminating she wasn't so different from Voldemort now, She only stopped to torture Bellatrix because she was interrupted. It was rubbed in her face she was perfectly capable of doing evil acts and enjoying them. She also had no regrets besides not having more time alone with her godfather's murderer.

  
  


Holly asked herself if her soul was condemned forever. She still saw herself as a good person, always trying to do what was right. This particular case was the only exception to that. Since she was just a small kid Holly had a lot to carry on her shoulders and suffered a lot in her life yet always ended up doing the right thing, even when part of her wanted the opposite.

  
  


This time she let her bad temper take control,  she snapped  and punished Bellatrix , who took away someone so precious to her .

  
  


Voldemort ruined her life and the lives of lots of people, but who was  Holly to judge him now? What if he had so many burdens in his life,  feeling alone ,  without love  or support from anyone... She couldn't judge him if one day he had enough  too  and snapped just like she did.

  
  


Holly is only fifteen, almost sixteen years old. Would the fifteen years old Tom Riddle, the one who never opened the Chamber  causing Myrtle Warren's death, be so beyond repair? Would he become the Dark Lord Voldemort if he had experienced some goodness in his life or at least had support or someone he could feel safe with, a true friend? What if he had someone who opposed the darkness in his  soul and his bad actions but also could comfort his heart?

  
  


If Holly could intercede, would she be capable to save him or at least prevent him from committing his first murder? Obviously she can't control the feelings or actions of people, but would she be able to guide him for a better path or at least stop him?

She doesn't think Voldemort is a good guy , after all h e  brought pain and misery  for years  on the path he walk ed . Because of him and his Death Eaters, lots of lives were lost, including the ones of her parents, Cedric and Sirius.

  
  


But would Tom Riddle follow the same path if he had a glimpse of light or goodness in his life? She snorted, thinking about the possibility of being close friends with him if they were in the same year. She could also be in Slytherin, just like the Sorting Hat advised her in her first day at Hogwarts. Did Tom like Quidditch? She let out a laugh with that thought.

  
  


Holly Potter and Tom Riddle. BFF.

  
  


Well, if he was truly evil she still could  prevent him  from opening the Chamber of Secrets and killing Myrtle Warren. Hagrid wo uldn't be expelled too, at least not for this. He was raising an Acromantula in secrecy , for fuck's sake !

  
  


To keep up with Tom Riddle, Holly would need to learn much more and be stronger. If they had the same age, would be possible for her to stop the rise of Voldemort or at least oppose him directly? He is as strong as Dumbledore, but Holly survived all encounters with him when their paths crossed, being only a baby the first time that happened and eleven on the second. In her view, the task to save the world from baby Voldemort is so much easier than opposing an old, wiser and experienced Dark Wizard. If she could confront him and remain alive, if she faced a student with the same age as her, she at least would be a worthy rival.

  
  


Holly thought about a world without Voldemort.  Lots of lives sparred. Holly growing up happily with her parents, being visited by Sirius and Lupin. A world were she would maybe still be with Cedric... or if they didn't work out, she could try  something serious with Draco without risking his or his parents lives. Or she would just be alone. Without fame or being sorted  i n the Triwizard Tournament, she probably wouldn't be noticed by Cedric or  Draco . 

  
  


Alastor Moody would have his eye, nose and leg and Neville would have  healthy parents. Voldemort was tormenting the world for years, what else would change without his influence?

  
  


If she could go to the past and meet Tom Marvolo Riddle, would they be friends or enemies? It was a difficult decision to  make ,  specially for her, extend ing the olive branch to the past version of the man who only brought pain and misery to her life. 

  
  


Her mind roamed on hypothetical scenarios when a noise caught her attention.

  
  


A strange structure materialized a few meters away from Holly. At first glance she thought it was a mirror, on a second glance, it could be a portal.

  
  


  
An image of Holly Potter. :3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> English is not my mother language and I’m still learning to write. I'll probably be repetitive sometimes and I plan to edit the chapters in the future, after I improve. If you spot any errors, please let me know! :3
> 
> I'll use my poetic fanfic license to make some alterations. I'll put Myrtle and Hagrid in fifth year, among other small changes. 
> 
> I'll consider that Tom Riddle begin his fifth year in 1942.
> 
> Holy Lily Potter don't use glasses. She is practically Lily Evans with black hair and shorter in height (basically because of the Dursley’s poor treatment during her childhood).
> 
> She had a good relationship with Snape. He kinda ignored her on first and second years, too alarmed how much she looked like Lily when they were children. Their good relation was kinda a secret between them and Snape taught her a lot of things about potions, spells and charms. Yes, that's my excuse if I want to use contents from "The Half-Blood Prince" and beyond.
> 
> I have a lot of ideas about this fic and I don't know yet if this one in particular will be too extensive, but probably will be a part of series with other stories in different times, another OCs and important characters of the books like the Marauders. I also have some drafts and other ideas of Harry Potter fics and I plan to post them soon.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the story. :D


	2. The Time-Portal and The Gatekeeper

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some explanations about Time-Travel and advice to the new chapter of Holy's life.
> 
> The Old Shadow Man surely talks a lot!

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet"

Holly finds herself in front of a large structure, it seemed to be a dusty old mirror, its borders ornamented with hourglasses, lemniscates, Celtic symbols and other patterns she didn't recognize.

The little witch stood up from her couch and walked near the strange object that suddenly appeared in front of her. She studied it for a few seconds. It looked like a mirror but at the same time could be some sort of gate or a door. She remembered reading about Ancient Magic Technologies and this one was an example that reminded her of Magic Portals, the same ones ancient wizards used to travel long distances, before they invented Portkeys. It was also said about rarer types of Portals, capable to transport people to other worlds or dimensions.

They were more a legend than a fact, of course, considering the fact no living person had proven their existence and no registers about them were ever found.

Holy hold her hand and made some detection spells for curses or jinxes. Nothing happened, so she decided to examine it closer. She could see her reflex in front of her but it was blurry. Maybe it was just dusty, so she put her left hand on the surface of the mirror to clean it. It was warm and oddly elastic. She pressed gently her fingertips on it and they sank, for her surprise. It was like a dense mud, if mud was silvery and viscous. The witch pressed more and her fingers dug until their base. Her magic core resonated with the object, a tingly current flowing all through her body. She still could felt her fingers and decided to close them, trying to grab the mud, but she couldn't hold anything. She decided to pull her hand away.

She couldn't.

The witch pulled with more strength. Her hand didn't budge.

Holly was trapped but something inside of her keep her calm, like subconsciously, she knew no harm would come to her. She took a deep breath and pushed her palm a little.

Yes, she was capable to move forward.

Holly inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly, trying to keep her cool to analyze better the situation. She couldn't pull away from the strange mirror-object but she could move inside of it.

If she wanted to run, she would need to cut her arm off. If she was pulled inside it, anything else could happen. She could die, lose her mind, lose a limb or two...

Or maybe go to another world or another dimension.

She could even be transported to the Fairy Realm, so long lost from the humans view...

She could be devoured, burned, tortured or killed.

She could be free... free from pain, from losses and from a world without Sirius.

Of course Holly still had Ron, Hagrid, Hermione and Lupin, but with Voldemort lurking around, it was plausible to lose them too in the future.

If her tears weren't already dry, she would be crying from this prospect. Her friends could be tortured or killed. She wished Voldemort never existed!

The mirror's surface flickered, waves forming around her buried hand. A golden light glowed all over her skin, clothes and hair, it was pleasing and comforting. She felt herself being pulled inside of it, the semisolid surface engulfing her. Holly pressed her eyes closed and decided to welcome whatever had on he other side, walking straight into it.

The witch felt dizziness and an annoying buzz filled her years. It lasted just two or three seconds. When Holly opened her eyes again, she saw herself in a room with a lot of doors, gates, mirrors and holes, all of them set out on different sizes, shapes, colors and positions. The walls and the floor were a pure white and somehow that place made her feel serene and peaceful.

It was a Portal, indeed.

Holly looked back where the Mirror-Portal should be, but it vanished.

As far as her view could reach, the doors, gates, holes and surfaces were everywhere. She walked in the direction of an wooden gate, the one that seemed closer, just five or six meters away from her. The more she walked, more distant she became from it. She walked backwards and that made no difference.

That wasn't her path to walk. Something inside her knew that.

Holly gave up from the wooden gate or the try to take a random path. She stopped to scan her surroundings and noticed that in front of some of the gates, there was a blurry faint silhouette, like a creature or a person guarding it. Just one of the structures glowed in a golden light, like her body did just a few moments ago. It was a door similar to the Room of Requirement from Hogwarts. There was a human figure standing beside it. It was an old man with an average size and a pointy hat. Well, actually he was more like a shadow than a man, she felt herself staring a night sky without stars. The witch could only see his contours, couldn't see his eyes, nose, mouth or expression.

"Holly Lily Potter... we finally met!" His voice was deep and sound inhuman, she could discern perfectly his words, anyway. "I am always honored to guide a little sheep on an adventure to stray away from it's flock."

"What?"

"Your magic called for a change and Time answered it. I can say of course that you have a choice to return back to your old miserable life, but truth to be told, if your will was capable of summon a Time-Portal and try to fix things, of course it's a path that you'll never walk again."

"W-wait. WHAT?" The old man chuckled, amused.

"You are the one from the prophecy, right? 'The one who will vanquish the Dark Lord blablablablabla'." The old man said in a mockingly voice. Holly nodded sheepishly. "Well, forget it!" He points what was supposed to be his chin at the door beside him in a casual way. "The moment you cross that door, you'll be precisely on September 1st, year 1942, when this prophecy hadn't been told yet and probably never will," he points a finger to the scar on her forehead "But in some aspects, it may serve for you."

Holly only blinks at him, lost and confused. The shadow lets out a sigh, tired. The girl had a lot to learn and he had a lot to explain.

“You better sit down, we have a long talk ahead. I have things I need to teach you and if you are slightly wise you'll pay attention and be careful in following my advice.”

"Hum, okay," Holly obeys him, sitting down on the floor. First advice followed. He mirror her gesture and sits on the floor in front of her.

"You cross this door, you are officially a Time Traveler Witch. I'm not talking about small things with Time-turners, I'm talking about bigger changes, capable to save countless lives, even with small actions... Something like stopping a random wizard to visit a certain country to eat bat soup, making him ill with a disease easily spreading, capable of killing thousands of lives world-wide in just a few months," Holly's brows furrowed, the exemple being oddly specific, but she made no comment. "Well, for you is granted a chance to change the reality, just one chance... "

"Your body will be unable of any kind of Time Travel after that, obviously, even though you'll be capable to study or use other types of Time Magic if you are interest. It's a fair trade considering you will leap 54 years in the past without being turned into mush. Time-turners or any other artifacts will be unresponsive to you. Try as much as you want, nothing will happen!" His voice had a strangely delighted tone, like he said an internal joke only he was aware of. It is evident the old man really likes to talk, it must be lonely around this curious place. Holly can't stop to think how he looks like a vendor, trying to sell a product to her.

"I'll soon explain that part to you. Well, you only have one chance. No path is settled, there is no right or wrong choices. Voldemort was responsible for numerous deaths of muggles, magic people and magic creatures... he will bring much more ruin and chaos to our world, but now you managed to grant yourself a chance to stop him, you may kill him, oppose him, bring him to the light, it doesn't matter... If you succeed, you'll be able to meet the ones you desire to see again, without sharing the same connection, of course, they will know nothing about Holly Potter, you'll need to meet them from the start, all over again."

"What?" Holly almost stood up in surprise. "Are you saying I'll be able to see Sirius again, or my parents?" She felt her heart hammering inside her chest.

"Yes. You'll be able to see them if you don't die in your mission and if you don't kill or interfere too much on the lives of their ancestors... like marrying Orion Black before Sirius Black is born or other crazy shit... You can marry him after if you want, be Sirius' stepmother!" Holly grimaced at his idea but found it funny too, thanks to her twisted sense of humor. "It's a pact. You have a mission and if you succeed Time will bless you." The old man snorted. "You also would be surprised how much the destinies of some people are intertwined... I know you don't believe in it and as I said before, no path is settled, but some lines eventually cross, even if take years." His voice was strangely distant and dreamy.

Holly is baffled. Her hands trembling, feeling the weight of the destinies and futures of her dearest ones on her shoulders.

"So, if I survive all of this I'll be able to meet my parents, Sirius won't pass twelve years in Azkaban and when I be a grandma I can see Ron, Hermione, Neville and Draco?"

"Yes. But I don't think you'll look so old, considering witches and wizards have a longer lifespan than muggles." He leaned closer to her and pet her head, trying to ease her heart. "You can change so many things and I dare to say that going back in the past hold so many possibilities...I can foresaw you happy on lots of them... Even if you stayed in your present and defeated Voldemort on the future that lies ahead, you would have much more losses and your happiness would be bittersweet. There are no winning sides on a war." He cupped her face on his hands, using his thumb to dry a tear that managed to roll from her eyes. "I'm not saying you can finally relax, but in the past you chose near Tom Riddle, you can finally have the life of a normal student and find a little more of peace... you know Hogwarts secrets and you have the wisdom and experience to face any danger you face. Of course the future is an uncertain thing, but you already know how close a worst-case-scenario looks like."

"T-thanks," Holly says to him with a faint smile. The tiny witch felt a new hope now, a hope she didn't expected to feel any time sooner in her life. "Even if I die trying, it will be all worthy if I can guarantee a happy future to my godfather, my parents and my friends."

The old guardian gave her a smile, even though she could only see the darkness of his contours and not his true form. He wanted to say a lot of things to soothe her tormented heart. All the possibilities of happiness lying ahead on the paths she could choose. He wanted to bring peace to the only person who could turn out to be the true Master of Death, having all the Deathly Hallows under her rightful possession. A path that she now probably will never take. Thankfully. He exhales soundly, incredibly tired.

"Be aware in what you reveal to people" He stands up and extends a shadow arm to help Holly do the same. "It's not forbidden to tell about time travel, but it isn't wise either, if you trust the wrong people... It happens from time to time a Time Traveler being locked inside a madhouse or being killed." He chuckles darkly. Holly gulps, remembering Hermione's advice about Time Travel on her third year.

The man snaps his fingers and Holly's clothes changes a little, a not-so-much-different older model of her Hogwarts uniform, with a longer skirt and a black tie. "Now you'll fit better!" He is clearly pleased with his transfiguration skills. "I know you are almost 16... you would begin your sixth year soon at Hogwarts, right?" Holly nods. "Well, I can't make you younger with Time Magic, it’s a good thing you are short and can easily pass for a 15 years old or even 14." Holly pouts, remembering Ron's mockery about her height. "You'll start your fifth year all over again. We are now in a place where the time is frozen, but after you cross this portal, it’s the first day of September, year 1942, Tom Riddle is also starting his fifth year." Holly gives a firm nod at his affirmation, her mind settled about her mission and her choices. "It was the way you requested Time, I can't change that. It was your call, your summon."

The black-jet shadow takes her hands in his."About your background... I strongly recommend you to tell half-truths or make a story that you can follow through. You can tell, for example, the truth about your parents being murdered when you were a baby, that you were raised by muggles, that you're a half-blood, etc. You don't need to give too much details. You can also tell you don't know who your parents are, that you maybe are a muggleborn, whatever, it’s up to you, if you aren't a good liar, you'll slip easily, you must be cautious, Holly! Some time-travelers declare they don't remember anything from their past and starts from zero. That works too..."

He slips a small object he inside her hand and continue to talk, holding her hand firmly closed in his.

"There's only one rule that's absolute for a Time Traveler and you MUST follow," His voice was menacing for the first time since he started that long speech.

"What rule?"

"If a Time Traveler arrives near you and needs your help, you WILL help them, no matter what, using all the means necessary inside your power. You will only help if they ask you to. You cannot interfere even if you are suspicious about their identity and there is no need to do anything after they settle."

"Well, Time Travelers are incredible rare, and it's even more unusual they cross paths, but we need to be aware of any plausible scenarios that may happen...And that's why special places are warned and prepare to help any Time Travelers in need. Hogwarts is an example, Gringots is another. You'll discover others... Important places like these always have one person responsible to follow the needed protocols to help them in times of need."

He turns her hand up, so she can open it. There is a silver ring with lemniscate patterns and Celtic symbols on her palm. For a heir ring it was quite simple, without precious gems or a lot of complicated drawings showing a House crest or a family motto like 'Toujours Pur', the Black Heir ring Sirius showed her.

“This is now your heirloom. It guarantee access to a vault in Gringotts with money for your use or to help another Time Traveler in need to settle, among important Time artifacts, books and antiquities. You can use the money as much as you wish, it yours and it's the price to protect, study and guard these items. And for you is also granted a new name by me, a Portier just like myself. From now on you are Holly Lily Portier, heir and Head of House Portier."

Holly stares the shadow a few seconds, without blinking, in total disbelief. “Well... I didn't expected a small change like this,” She snorts. “It was obvious I would need a new identity, and I expected you to change it to something awful, like 'Lily Luna' or 'Holly Molly'..." The old man cackled, amused. "I confess I was preparing myself for the worst! I still have the same initials as my birth name! Thank you!”

“ Portier means 'Gatekeeper', what I am. The time-travelers who eventually cross my path and my gates are named after me. Well, there are few of them scattered in different periods, I think you can only find one or two Portiers mentioned in books, near important events or making important discoveries, not necessarily related to their missions. The few wizards or witches who remembers the Portier name, usually call them 'the House of comes and goes', Portiers appear from time to time and vanishes. Some old Houses or families may remember a meeting or encounter with a Portier from the past or something like that... As I said before, on the majority of times, just a small act or a subtle change are enough to prevent great catastrophes, a sequel of bad events or even the start of new ones. The changes are important but rarely noticed or acknowledged. Unfortunately, not all of the Portiers succeeded on their missions and in a few cases they changes things for the worst... Time travel is indeed a dangerous thing to mess with..." he sighed, gloomy.

Holly gulped. She was anxious but determined to carve the path of a bright future for Sirius, Lupin, her parents, her friends and the people she knew, even the ones who didn't deserve it. " Don't worry, I will succeed!" She smirked with confidence. " I already lost too much in my life and now I have the opportunity to gain much more than I ever hoped for!" The small witch puts the ring on the index finger of her left hand, it adjusts its size to fit perfectly on her. She felt the back of her eyes filling with tears but now they were not caused by sadness, she was hopeful and happy again. She needed to erase Voldemort from existence and she would still need to wait years until finally be able to meet her loved ones again. A funny thought crossed her mind. If she befriended Sirius parents, she would wait around 17 years to meet him for the first time. 17 long years. Much more for Ron and Hermione, but if they could live in peace, every day of longing would be worthy. " I promise to you that I will honor The Ancient and Inconstant House of Portier!" She bowed elegantly to the shadowy old man and he cackled with her mockery.

Not because her joke was funny, but because she had no idea how right she was about the title she used to refer to her new House.

The old man gave her a small book. " Here, take it. It will be useful to help you on your first steps of this new life. It contains information about places you may need to visit and it has some advice about Time Magic and the dangers of Time-Travel. You can call it 'Time Magic for Dummies'. After reading this you can proceed to advanced knowledge if you want."

"Your magical core is now filled with Ancient Time Magic and combined with your heirloom," He points out to the ring on her finger. " You'll be able to read and see new information gathered inside books and places that only you and other Time Travelers will be able to read, if they also have their respective artifacts on their possession at time."

"You can also make Magic notes if you want, you just need to say or think ' _**tempora mutantur** _ '. You can write using your wand, a pen, a pencil or a stick. No ink required, it's a magical trace that glows on the color of choice. If you want to erase your notes, the spell required is ' _**tempus edax rerum** _'. You can only erase your own trace, not someone's else. Don't even bother trying."

"When you find the person responsible inside a Place of Help you just need to show your ring and say ' _**It seems I arrived precisely at the time I meant to** _'.

"What if they refuse to help me?" Holly asks, feeling a little insecure.

The shadow leans near her and says in a low and menacing voice. " It's not wise to mess with Time." Holly felt goosebumps all over her body. She knew it was a warn in case she refused to help an eventual Time Traveler fellow. She nodded at him in understanding.

"Your first helper will be this man," The old shadow showed Holly an image of an old wizard she saw inside Dumbledore's office as a portrait. "His name is Armando Dippet, he is already aware of your arrival and made some arrangements. You two will discuss further details and he was guided to instruct you about your background and other small details."

Holly nodded. The shadow man really talks a lot. She smiled fondly at him, knowing she will never see him again. "Thank you for everything!" She stood in front of the Time-Portal, breathing deeply.

"I am the one who should be thanking you," Holly frowned confused at his last sentence. The old man put an assertive hand on her shoulder. "Good luck, Holly Portier, may your wishes be granted and you live long and happily."

"I wish you the same. Farewell." Holly stepped forward to cross the mirror surface.

The old man smiled bitterly. His old body dying in a bed 600 years or more before the time line she was born, while his mind lived trapped in the Eternity. He achieved the knowledge to live forever. Yet the life gives and the life takes.

Some rings to inspire your imagination!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made minor changes on the first chapter and included a drawing of Holly. :o
> 
> "Tempora mutantur is a Latin adage that refers to the changes that the passage of time brings. It also appears in various longer hexametric forms, most commonly Tempora mutantur, nos et mutamur in illis, meaning 'Times are changed, we also are changed with them'." I extracted this from Wikipedia. Don't care if the latin is wrong or right, I'm too lazy! ;3
> 
> "Tempus edax rerum" = Time, devourer of all things - direct from Wikipedia
> 
> Yes, the password I chose for Time Travelers was based on Gandalf's quote “A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to.”
> 
> A little trivia for you! Armando Dippet died in 1992, with 355 years. I think it's real funny the fact Voldemort died with 71 years, after achieving 'Horcrux immortality'. An average lifespan for a muggle. lol
> 
> Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy it!


	3. The Sorting Hat Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arrival at past Hogwarts, seeing some known faces, Sorting Hat ceremony and first impressions. Hope you enjoy!

“ **The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”**

― Lao Tzu

When Holly crosses the Time-Portal, she founds herself outside the Room of Requirement, the door vanishing behind her, showing now just an empty wall. She walks straight to the Great Hall, while descending stairs and walking into pathways she wondered if she just had a strange dream and was actually still inside the Hogwarts of her time.

The moment she sets foot on the Great Hall and looks at the professors' table she just recognizes a single face, the face of a 50 years younger Dumbledore, with auburn long hair and medium-sized beard. It was indeed him wearing his usual colorful robes in dubious taste. This one had a scandalous orange color with small detailed stars and moons in gold threads.

_It wasn't a dream after all._

Holly stands near them, observing the students in their places along the four long tables, each one for a different House. The first year newcomers still arriving, waiting for the sorting ceremony. She scans for more family faces, the first one she recognizes is Hagrid, easy to spot, being a half-giant and consequently the tallest person inside the castle. Besides, she already had seen teenager Hagrid in the Diary's memories, being more easy to recognize. He didn't have a beard and his hair was at the same size as Ron's.

The second face Holly spotted was in Ravenclaw's table, the face she only saw as the ghost Moaning Myrtle that she met for the first time on her first year, haunting the girl's bathroom on the second-floor. It was frequently empty so Holly and Hermione used it a lot. They even managed to brew Polyjuice Potion inside of it on their second year and nobody noticed!

Holly and Hermione were basically the only visitors of Myrtle. The ghost girl was quite sensible, but they managed to befriend her, Holly being more closer than Hermione, being casted away so many times at Hogwarts along the years.

Myrtle Warren was isolated on the far corner of the Ravenclaw's table, eyes down, seeing lonely and sad. Holly knew she was constantly bullied at her time at Hogwarts and heard a lot of stories.

The brave witch decided that this won't happen on her watch, she'll put Myrtle inside her wing as soon as possible. The ghost consoled Holly so many times in the years and she was very grateful for that. She also knew they will probably share some classes, considering Myrtle died on her fifth year.

The third face made her startle, her breath caught in her throat. Tom Riddle was already staring at her with a puzzled expression in Slytherin table . He seemed to be the only person who noticed her presence there. He was just like she remembered from the Diary on the second year. Tall, black-jet wavy hair, dark eyes, pale skin and incredibly handsome. She swallowed dryly and averted his gaze, the tip of her fingers brushing the handle of her wand, a peace reassuring action.

_'Calm down, he is not a murderer yet!'_ The witch thought to herself, eyes returning to the center of the professor's table, she needed to talk to Headmaster Dippet. She breaths deeply and slowly, trying to tranquilize herself. Holly walks towards the professors' table, confusing looks darting at her. Armando Dippet had a blank expression. He seemed much older and frail than Dumbledore was at her time, bald, bushy eyebrows, blue-watery eyes and a long white beard. He seemed sympathetic like a sweet and gentle great-grandpa, wearing pompous dark-grey robes.

"Good evening, sir, I am Holly Lily Portier," The witch bow down her head to the old Headmaster, as a sign of respect. She took the Heir ring from her finger and put it on the table, showing it to him. Holly stared directly at his eyes. "It seems I arrived precisely at the time I meant to," She smiled at him and saw recognition glinting on his blue orbs. She put the ring back on her left index finger _._

The Headmaster opened an affectionate smile at her, making her feel welcomed by his tenderness. "Oh! I was expecting you... you must be our new transfer student, right?" Dumbledore right by his side frowned at him, but kept his mouth shut. Holly knew he was the Deputy Headmaster at 1942 and it was obvious he didn't know a thing about any new transfer student, like he should with all his responsibilities of the title. Dumbledore gives her a scrutinizing look, searching suspiciously at her Houseless robes and her black tie.

"Yes, sir! I'm starting at the fifth year." Holly opens a friendly smile, trying to appear secure when she actually was pretty apprehensive.

"Of course, of course! You just need to wait the first years to be selected by the Sorting Hat and you will be the next!" Dippet nods at her, reassuringly. "After the start-of-term banquet I want you to accompany me into my office, there are small details we still need to discuss." The old Headmaster smiles again and conjures a chair in front of the professors' table. "Please sit down!" She obeys after thanking him politely for his kindness.

The Headmaster Dippet calls for the beginning of the Sorting ceremony. The old Sorting hat made a new song about the Houses and its characteristics, like Holly knew it did every year, the song always changing.

After every first year was sorted, Dippet stood up. "I want to introduce all of you to our new transfer student, Holly Lily Portier!" The small witch stood up shyly, nodding her head as a compliment to all students. Her face a little flushed with all the attention drawn towards her. "She will be starting on the fifth year and now she will be sorted in one of your Houses. I hope you welcome her well!"

Holly hears the murmurs and whispers along the Great Hall. Dumbledore holds the Sorting Hat, waiting for her. She knows that this time she needs to be in Slytherin to keep a close watch on Tom Riddle. She sits down on the stool and starts to think with all her mighty, as soon as she felt Dumbledore putting the old hat on her head.

_"Slytherin! Slytherin! Please, put me in Slytherin!"_ Holly begs to the hat, hoping it works like when she did on her first year. The only difference was she practically asked anything but Slytherin back then, and the Hat put her at Gryffindor.

_**"Oh ho! Interesting... very interesting…"**_ The Sorting Hat chuckled inside her head, seeming incredibly amused. _**"I can see so many things, hm... Holly Lily Potter, I sorted you before, even though it's the first time I see you... I can see at that time I told you could do well in Slytherin and be able to learn so many things, yet you reject my idea with all your heart and now you want the opposite, holding the same strong disposition…"**_ The Hat said with a critical tone.

_**"**_ _Please, I beg you! I need to be in Slytherin!"_ Holly insisted.

The Sorting Hat chuckled again. _**"Only a true Gryffindor can pull Godric's Sword from me, what I know you managed to do... You still possess traits that will be welcome in Salazar's House... you are clever, determinate, shrewd, resourceful, possess a certain disregard for the rules... Oh, a Parselmouth... and you also discovered some of Salazar's secrets,"**_ The Hat was obviously talking about the Chamber of Secrets and the giant basilisk that was his familiar. _**"But you are also too blunt, too sincere, honest, trustful, daring, reckless and very short-tempered... You are very smart, but tend to do impulsive acts when your head is too heated…"**_ Holly knew the last part very well. It was what caused Sirius' death. _**"If I had I heart it would be torn apart by throwing someone worthy of Godric' Sword like yourself alone in Slytherin... I was his magical hat, after all... You easily take the baits and the cunning Snakes will chew you up and spit you out inside their lair,"**_ The Hat now seemed to be just toying with her, it wasn't able to hide the mirth on its own voice tone, like it was testing her bravery and determination. _**"See? You just took the bait…"**_ The damn Hat was taking all its time to search her mind and scrutinize it. Holly was suspicious it was trying to find any weakness to change her will.

But she knew more than anything about the power of choices and the fact the Sorting Hat couldn't ignore it.

_"I want Slytherin! Only Slytherin! There's a lot of things at stake beside my well-being, and you know it!"_ Holly tried to be more assertive, she didn't know the amount of time that passed while the hat was talking inside her head, but she was almost sure she was officially a Hatstall.

Holly heard a darkly chuckle inside her head. The hat kept silent for another moment, it was indeed torturing her! _**"It's really difficult to me to do this but I must follow your call... Well, at least you are a Parselmouth, aren't you? Maybe you can conquer the hearts of the Snakes with your words and your brain, but if you can't, maybe you'll be able to conquer your place by brute force... And I'm sad but also flattered that you took my advice to chose Slytherin... I wish you good luck, little Lioness…**_ **Slytherin!"** The last part was shouted, followed by reluctant claps from the Slytherin table and from one of the professors, who clapped loudly and happily. A tall, chubby and joyful middle-aged man, who was probably the Head of Slytherin. The tiny witch stood up a little embarrassed for their waiting. She knew everyone was hungry and eager for the food.

Holly walked shyly towards the Slytherin table, the older students treating her coldly than they did to the first years, obviously wary of a new transfer witch. She received some politely hand shakes and then surprisingly Tom Riddle stood up in front of her, a warm smile that didn't reach his eyes. When he took her hand in his to compliment her, she feels an electric current passing all through her body. Oddly it wasn't a bad sensation, just made stomach tingle. His smile faltered for a second and Holly was almost sure he felt the same as her. She gives him a fade smile and quickly releases herself from his hold. She directs herself far away from the students who seemed to be on the same year as her, sitting down near the first and second year students, while the Headmaster ended a small speech about the year to come and gave a few advice.

Holly starts to eat as soon as the food appears on the plates, only now noticing how starved she was. She lost all her appetite after Sirius' death but now it was back again, fueled with a hope for a new future. She attacked the food like her friend Ron. He was far ahead in the future too and she wanted to see him again.

Merlin's beard, Holly missed her friends already... she saw them a few hours ago, before entering the Room of Requirement. And now, if everything goes well she would see Ron and Hermione again just after 50 years, give or take!

Holly was conscious how strange she must be in the eyes of her new classmates... She probably still had puffy eyes after crying and grieving for two days in a row. Now she was eating like a starved caveman and didn't look up while eating, feeling the weight of disapproving eyes from the noble pure-blood Slytherins. She heard some giggles and chuckles, knowing they were directed to her.

_"Urgh... Slytherins.."._

At least for now she was able to avoid questions. As a new 'transfer' student, Holly was sure she would need to deal with a lot inquiry later. It would be clever to do that only after her talk to the Headmaster.

Holly thinks about her O.W.L.s and plans what classes she should take. Considering her exams happened just few weeks ago, in a way, it would be easier prepare for them now that she would repeat a lot of subjects again. She'll be able to study advanced magic thanks for this.

Holly was an outstanding student, her knowledge could be easily compared with Hermione's, with the exceptions of History of Magic, Herbology and Animal Care. She was horrible in History of Magic, Professor Binns' classes were as effective as sleeping draughts. Hermione's notes the only thing saving her from complete failure. In Herbology she was ordinary, never had interest in plants. Same thing with Animal Care. Holly actually liked some creatures, magical or not, but she only took the classes to make Hagrid happy and to support him as a teacher.

On the subjects that interested her, Holly was brilliant. She was top class in Defense Against Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration and Potions. Transfiguration probably run in her blood, considering Holly's father being a successful Animagus since his fifth year in Hogwarts, as she heard from Sirius and Lupin. Holly was extraordinarily good at Potions because she had an exceptional mentor, Snape. They grew close only after her third year and he taught a lot of tips and secrets about potion brewing that wasn't in books. Hermione was always pissed with Holly's better results without following the rules. Snape was a genius Potion-Maker and also taught Holly a few charms and spells he invented.

Professor Snape only approached her after Sirius escaped Azkaban. He wanted to ensure Holly's safety and at first gave her detentions for nothing, just to keep a close watch to her, but after some time she learned he was a close childhood friend of her mother. They had a fight and stopped talk to each other but Snape still considered her precious to him. Holly didn't knew more details and was suspicious that his professor also had a crush on her mother, but it wasn't her business. After Lupin, Snape was her favorite teacher. It was a shame Sirius hated his guts and they never got along together.

Sirius taught her a lot of interest things about Astronomy, but she liked more to hear the Myths behind the constellations than study planets or make charts. Her grades were good but not exceptional.

Divination was a stupid class to her and she had good grades just making funny predictions about disasters with Ron. Divination didn't count, even though it turned slightly interesting after Firenze took Trelawney's place as a professor after Umbridge dismissed her.

The motive why Holly's grades weren't that spectacular was specially because she was more practical than theoretical. She was also very lazy doing her homework and writing essays.

Holly didn't took the classes of Arithmancy and Study of Ancient Runes . That was her only regret. Hermione's interest caught her attention when was to late to change, so she kinda studied by herself or along Hermione, her friend's notes always useful. She decided to take them this time, the witch was confident she would be able to keep up.

Holly also decides to take Divination again, even hating it. If Voldemort was so obsessed because of a stupid prophecy that ruined her life, his younger self probably studied or had some interest in the area. She knew he was a model student with very good grades and probably as nerdy as Hermione, so it would be good to do as many classes as possible to keep an eye on him.

Care of Magical Creatures would be necessary if she wanted to approach Hagrid.

Merlin, she will be really busy! Unfortunately she couldn't use a Time-Turner even if she got her hands in one. The shadow man was very clear to her new limitations about Time-Travel.

Well, Holly was supposed to start her sixth year following her original timeline, so she could consider everything as a big revision. It wasn't a big sacrifice, she likes to study, even though she hates to do homework.

The witch felt a pang in her chest when thought about Quidditch. She will be very busy studying while stopping Voldemort coming to existence. She doesn't have a broom either and probably wouldn't be accepted to do the tryouts, even if she wanted. On her time on the future, the Slytherin Team was composed only by male students. At 1942 probably the sexism inside Slytherin would be only worse.

Holly remembered well the vision they seemed to share about pure-blood ladies, acting like they were just breeding mares. Even a powerful witch like Bellatrix was forced into an arranged marriage, her twin married a muggle and was banished from the Black family, according to Sirius. Holly hates Bellatrix far more than Voldemort, but she must admit the crazy witch was very strong and capable.

All Slytherin girls Holly knew were very preoccupied with their appearances and seemed to want a good suitor, preferably a rich pure-blood. They always had impeccable hair, make-up, good clothes and nails well done. Even the ugly ones had flawless appearances.

The future didn't change so much from the past, Slytherin was the most traditional House, habits seemed frozen in time.

Traditional and strange habits, like arranged marriages and inbreed between cousins to maintain a pure-blood lineage in the Family Houses.

And Slytherin was certainly the House with more pure-bloods and the one who most concerned about blood status, wealth, influence, and power. Political and Magic power.

Keeping appearances are also important. They had to hide their true feelings in a mask and maintain a pretty well exterior, showing their wealth using expensive clothes and jewelry, like human peacocks. Even the male students should dress well. Holly couldn't imagine how hard it would be for a lady who dressed poorly in Slytherin.

Actually, she probably will discover that soon enough.

Holly's robes had good quality, being transfigured from her own original ones with small changes, but the witch was very carefree about her appearance and very conscious of that. Her tie was always loose and she didn't buttoned her shirt up until the top, leaving one or two buttons open, felling suffocated the other way. Her shirt always outside the skirt. Holly's hair was frequently messy, like it has a conscious of its own. She likes her hair a lot and is very proud of her long dark locks, but truth to be told, her hair is untamed just like she is. Sometimes she makes braids or a ponytail, but it never last an entire day. The witch only done her nails and put make-up once in her entire life, during the Yule Ball on the fourth year. The entire school didn't decide if they were more shocked with Holly or Hermione, both looking like entire different people. Hermione showing that day how beautiful she actually was in a breathtaking ball gown, hair done, using glamour charms and makeup. Holly shocked everyone just dressing like a girl and acting like one. They didn't noticed she was also using makeup. Only Cedric did. Later she discovered women cared more about that than men. Cedric didn't like Holly's freckles were hidden or the taste of her lipstick. Cedric liked the raw Holly and she felt flattered with this. But if the witch liked to use makeup she would be enraged with the Hufflepuff.

Holly and Hermione were frequently mocked by their girl roommates. The latter for being an ugly-duck who didn't put makeup, beauty charms or made her nails. Hermione's appearance was always clean, though. On their view Holly was worse than Hermione, even being considered more attractive, just because Holly dressed like a boy in skirts and also behaved and talked like one.

Holly was truly doomed inside the Slytherin from the past with her tomboyish and disheveled self. But she actually found that thought more funny than concerning. To her, skills and intelligence were far much important and she didn't want to befriend a person who only cares about her looks.

She was indeed a fish out of the bowl.

Better than that, a lioness inside the snake pit, a brute beast surrounded by animals who can only survive her using venom, teaming up or running away.

Tom Riddle more a basilisk than a common snake. Well... Voldemort was a full grown basilisk, a 15 years old student is more closer to a hatchling.

For the first time after dinner started, Holly looked around to pay attention at the Slytherin students. At the center of the table she spotted a surprisingly beautiful and mesmerizing witch, noticing after a few seconds she was none other than the younger Walburga Black. She saw the Headgirl pin on her robes, she was surrounded by other pretty and elegant witches. Holly was almost certain Walburga was considered the Slytherin's Queen, her presence really strong and imposing, her mad side well buried in deep secret, unlike the screaming portrait from Grimmauld Place that only screamed and said bad names. She even covered her mouth when laughing, such a fine pure-blood royalty... Sitting directly at her opposite side was the Headboy. He had honey blond hair, brown eyes and a sneer plastered on his face that made Holly wants to punch him, the same sneer a lot of arrogant pure-bloods had, like they sniffed something rotten. He also seemed way shorter than Walburga. He was talking loudly with his male friends, Tom sitting just two spaces away from him.

Holly noticed Tom was the only Slytherin using second-hand robes, yet he was more regal than any of them and more natural, like a king that was using peasant clothes just to mock the rubbish that wouldn't have near the same class as him, as much as they tried, dressing well or not.

Tom was obviously poor, but his clothes were tidy and clean, unlike her friend Ron, who was often as disheveled as Holly. Tom was quiet, hearing the babbling of his group, a faint smirk on his face, completely charming without even trying, his posture was elegant and should be illicit how attractive and handsome he is...

Tom's eyes darted to Holly, like he felt her gaze upon him. The witch quickly avoided his eyes, taking a treacle tart, trying to see distracted by her food.

The dinner ended and some students were already stand up to leave to their common rooms. Holly was distracted observing the Headmaster Dippet speaking with Dumbledore, drinking from his goblet. The witch distracted, asking herself if she should wait more so they could talk and if it would be rude to interrupt him before he truly finished. He was very old and probably ate very slowly.

Holly didn't notice when Tom came closer, standing up behind her. He cleaned his throat and she jumped, looking up behind to face him. Her body was tense.

"Hello, I am Tom Riddle and I'm the prefect of the fifth year," Tom pointed to the silver badge pinned on his robes and Holly glanced to the female girl who was just by his side, with the same badge as him, but the prefect girl purposefully avoided eye contact, walking forward to the girls of first year.

_'Wasn't the female prefect the one who was supposed to talk to her, considering she is a girl?'_

Holly's brows furrowed briefly and she look up to Tom again, the bastard like a wall, probably a few centimeters taller than Ron. "I'm going to show the Slytherin's chambers to our newcomers, you shall come along with us," Tom smiles politely at her.

"Oh, thanks, but I have to talk to the Headmaster now," Holly stands, feeling a little awkward, her head not passing the height of his chest. She looks up a little and smiles at him, trying to not seem too nervous by his presence. "See you later!" She doesn't wait his answer and darts straight to the Headmaster's table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As I said at the first chapter, I'll put Myrtle and Hagrid on fifth year.
> 
> I'm updating quickly because I already had things written over the last two or three months and I'm just polishing them. I don't know how many chapters this pace will last. 
> 
> Thanks for reading! I hope you enjoy the story and stay well in this quarantine!


	4. A talk with Headmaster Dippet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holly and Headmaster Dippet making a few arrangements and talking about Holly's accommodations.

Holly walks beside Armando Dippet in silence through the Gargoyle Corridor on the second-floor. They reach the Gargoyle Statue on the end of it, and for her surprise, a Time Mark was painted on its forehead with a golden light. It was an hourglass and the witch recognized as an indicative of a place to help any Time Traveler.

  
  


The statue gave passage to them after Dippet tell the password ' _silentium est_ _aureus_ ', revealing the stairs leading into his office.

  
  


The Headmaster's Office was just like Holly saw the first time inside Tom's Diary, with the exception that now she could see the glowing time symbols on different colors on the spine of few books, walls, items and on few portraits of the old Headmasters of Hogwarts. Holly looked up at the ceiling and saw a silver glowing circle drew with symbols and patterns she couldn’t identify. All of them probably holding knowledge about Time Magic and Time-Travel.

  
  


_Hogwarts is indeed a place full of secrets_.

  
  


The Headmaster sat down on his chair and made a gesture so Holly could do the same. She sat down on the chair in front of his desk.

  
  


"This afternoon I received a warning about your arrival, so I could anticipate a few arrangements for you." The Headmaster clasped his hands on his lap while staring at Holly. " The house-elves already put a trunk for you inside your new dormitory, filled with the basic things for your immediate use and things you'll need for your classes, like books, ink pots, quills... You have some basic change of clothes, but you may need to adjust the size... I provided clothes for an average-sized girl, you know..." Holly was familiarized with comments about her height, but didn't expected one coming from the Headmaster. It was also strange talking about her clothes with an old man. She smiled sheepishly at him, trying to not appear rude.

  
  


"Thank you for the trouble, sir. How should I repay y—" Dippet raised a hand to interrupt her talking.

  
  


" You don't need to repay me, it's my duty to help you settle down on your first days, considering your _condition_." He put his hand back on his lap. "I'll be your guardian for the time being, considering you are still a minor. And I will provide money if you need too."

  
  


"I think money won't be the problem, it was given to me a vault on Gringotts, but I know nothing about a guardian, so that will help a lot, sir." The old man gave her a reassuring smirk, while he took some papers and a quill from a drawer in his desk.

  
  


"I need to know a few things about you. Of course I don't want to know meticulous details...I assume you leapt some years to the past, right?" Holly nodded. "Hm, I see... Time is dangerous to meddle with, I don't want to know what will happen on the future, so just answer me as little as possible, Ok? I need to fill some paperwork," Holly nodded again. "Tell me the day and month of your birth date."

  
  


" July 31st, sir."

  
  


The old man scratched it down and paused a few seconds, like he was calculating something. "Fine, the year you was born now is 1927... Are your blood parents born already?"

  
  


"No, sir, they are not."

  
  


The old Headmaster widened his eyes in alarm. If she was back so many years in the past, it was likely something critical did happen. He needed to make this question to avoid name conflicts.

  
  


" I don't now if you are aware, but there are two wars happening at this moment. A wizarding war and a muggle one, so there's a lot of people disappearing and registers vanishing. If your parents don't exist yet, I think it should be fine if you give me their first names... You can made them up too if you wish."

  
  


"James Portier and Lily Portier." Holly said without thinking a lot. The names of her parents were pretty common and she didn't want to change them too much. Besides, Holly didn’t trust herself enough to avoid slips with made-up names.

  
  


"I think I shouldn't ask about that, but... did you already study at Hogwarts? I want to know if you need further explanation about O.W.L.s and the classes you will take. Or if you'll need extra classes to keep up with the other students."

  
  


"Yes, I did… and I don't need explanation, thank you, sir... and I already decided the classes I will take as Electives. I'll do Arithmancy, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures and Study of Ancient Runes."

  
  


"That's quite a lot," The old Headmaster smiled fondly at her, like a proud grandpa. "You'll receive your schedule tomorrow at breakfast."

  
  


Yes, Holly would be quite busy with the 7 core classes plus 4 electives. But she need to be smarter, stronger and keep her eye on a certain Dark Lord in formation.

  
  


"Now I need the story you'll tell about how you were raised and where you studied. Our versions need to match."

  
  


Holly already thought of it and decided to follow the guidance of the Time-Portal Gatekeeper. She was never a good liar, so it would be better for her to tell half-truths. Saying nothing or faking memory problems would be too suspicious. The small witch made the decisions about her background while walking with Headmaster Dippet into his office.

  
  


Holly told him that her parents died when she was a baby and she was raised by muggles until she was eleven, when she was took by a wizard (Hagrid) and started to study with a group of people around her age. Everyone was trained by professors, some of them dark wizards and witches (like Quirrel, Dolores and fake Alastor Moody). That would support some scars she had and her knowledge about dark magic and dark creatures. She was the only one who managed to escape alive and asked the Headmaster for help. The old man heard everything in deep silence. His mind was running, trying to find gaps or holes on her story.

  
  


The few things Holly knew about the wars of this time, thanks to Hermione's notes, was the fact there was a lot of cases about children kept captive by dark wizards and witches. Those children had a harsh training to be soldiers, slaves or even young talented wives. They were sold at a young age, the majority of them being muggleborns and gypsies wizards and witches, who suffered a lot, being severely punished on escape attempts or rebellions. It wasn't a lie to say they were kept in places like schools or dungeons that were clearly inspired on muggle concentration camps. The weakest kids were used in experiments, tortured or killed. It was horrible!

  
  


Truth be told, Holly had a long history of abuse by the Dursleys' hands, since her childhood. Not only the physical type. They didn't beat her up so badly, but they were constantly starving and humiliating her. She was also bullied at school and had to use old clothes twice her size, that belonged to Holly's fat cousin, who beat her too, sometimes with his friends.

  
  


At Hogwarts she suffered by Voldemort’s encounters, specially the one he used _Cruciatus_ on her, on forth year. Umbridge also tortured her, helping in ostracizing her, telling she was lying about Voldemort's return, and making Holly write sentences with a blood quill. ' _I must tell no lies_ ' carved forever on the back of her right hand, scars caused by magic never disappear. Like the lightning bolt on her forehead, the puncture wound of the basilisk scar that pierced her left arm, and a cut on her right arm, made with a ritual dagger by Wormtail.

  
  


Her background was solid. She was tiny but she was tough. Holly could tell she was the only one who survived after the place was discovered by aurors or spies. Besides, it would be easier to avoid questions she don't want to answer with a tragic past.

  
  


"I think I can support your story... I can say a friend of mine found you. If anyone asks who, I can always say it's someone undercover... I doubt anyone will pay too much attention in your story or cause you trouble, you are just a minor, after all." Headmaster Dippet was scratching his beard. "Anything else you need to cover?"

  
  


Suddenly Holly remembered a crucial fact. "What about my wand, sir? There is something quite unique about it and I think its very important."

  
  


"Yes?"

  
  


The witch stood silent a few seconds, choosing carefully her words. " My wand is the twin of a wand that's already on someone's possession. I think both were already crafted this time, so my wand now has a double... When I picked my wand, the wandmaker told me that he remembered exactly all the wands he sold and their respective owners. That may cause me trouble on the future, so I think I must take its double. I should go to Ollivanders as soon as possible, sir, to buy my wand." The fact that her wand and Voldemort’s were twins saved her life once. The wand waited years to choose Holly as its owner. It would be best to secure it in case her wand breaks in an accident, like Ron’s on their second year.

  
  


The Headmaster's blue eyes had a strange glint. "I see... well, you should consider yourself lucky," He was caressing his beard, amused. " Ollivanders is one of the few places on my knowledge that help Time Wizards. I'll send an owl telling him you'll visit on Saturday. After breakfast you'll meet me here to use my Floo Network. You'll go to Diagon Alley and there you can do any business you want or need to do." The Headmaster lifted his bushy eyebrows to her. "But I'll only give you permission to leave Hogwarts this time or if an urgency happens... Time-Traveler or not, you are still a minor student under my responsibility."

  
  


"I understand, thanks again, sir!" She bows her head a little to him as a sign of respect. "Good night!" The witch gives him a shy smile and lefts his office.

  
  


When Holly passes the Gargoyle statue, she sees a tall figure a few paces away, leaning on a pillar and staring at her direction.

  
  


Tom was outside, waiting for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> silentium est aureum = silence is gold
> 
> I know Fawkes healed the wound of the basilisk scar on Harry, but I want the drama. :D
> 
> If you spot any errors and mistakes, please let me know.
> 
> On the next chapter we'll finally have more Tom, I promise! 
> 
> Thanks for everyone for your kudos and nice comments, I really appreciate them!
> 
> I hope you stay safe and well! See ya!


	5. Tom Riddle, the Slytherin Prefect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Finally Tom! And Tom's POV.

_"Little darling_

_It's been a long cold lonely winter_

_Little darling_

_It feels like years since it's been here"_ _♪_

_-_ _Here Comes The Sun - The Beatles_

  
  


Tom learned a lot of things throughout his life and the most important ones were to never underestimate women and always try to please them. It was better to conquer their graces than incite their fury. A few things were more useful than a lady as an ally, they usually have subtle ways to get things, gain favors or discover secrets. Furthermore, they have a natural talent to read people and read things between the sidelines. That’s why Tom respected them and was always wary to not spend too much time near the fair sex.

  
  


Tom was very good in charming women or do few interactions. Being too close to them was like beg to be exposed. They always became wary of him after sometime. Like they could sniff all the darkness inside of him.

  
  


And the Slytherin Vipers were the worst kind. He knew a lot of them admired his good looks from distance, like observing an exotic animal. A dangerous one.

  
  


Tom knew it wasn’t because of his second-hand clothes or the fact he was poor. It was like they were capable to have a peek inside his soul.

  
  


He is very cautious with them.

  
  


That’s why he liked to help them when any opportunity arrived. First of all, he would look like a kind gentleman and second, he didn’t want to give them motives to spy on him or uncover his secrets.

  
  


Tom wasn't close enough to any of his female classmates, but he wasn't an idiot to treat them like brainless breed-mares only useful to political marriages and to make babies, a vision shared by great part of pure-blood wizards.

  
  


The witches are as capable to use magic as any wizard. The ones who tries to seem weak or useless can be the most treacherous ones, like small venomous snakes, just waiting for the right moment to strike. They are really dangerous and was stupid to lower down your guard near them.

  
  


Even a common muggle woman is capable of bring ruin to a powerful man.

  
  


The witches can usually lack on physical strength, but they make up with functional brains. Unlike men, who frequently thinks only with their lower heads, what gives full advantage to women. And the fact that both gender are equal if they both are yielding their wands.

  
  


That’s what made the Slytherin Vipers the deadliest of them all. The more cunning, persuasive, elegant, intelligent and ambitious women inside Hogwarts. They don’t spare resources or means to achieve their goals and they knew very well how to manipulate men and discover secrets.

  
  


And the greatest opportunity of all was given to him on a silver platter, just after he show the dormitories of the first year boys and was walking inside the Common Room.

  
  


Tom heard the two female prefects complaining about the new fifth year girl. Particularly her messy looks and lack of manners on the table. They were gossiping in the middle of the common room, with loud and heated voices.

  
  


"She is probably a _mudblood_ who grown up in the gutter," The sixth year prefect girl said.

  
  


None of them wanted to be seem near the new witch and the Headgirl Walburga Black swiftly left the two prefects alone to decide who would do the inglorious task to wait for her outside the Headmaster's Office, to explain a thing or two about Hogwarts and the Dungeons, where Slytherin House was located.

  
  


It could be obvious that the task would fall under the fifth year prefect's shoulders, but her family had a little more prestige and influence than the other one, so even though she was older as a student, since Slytherin is a very political House, they had a "drawn".

  
  


The two prefects were facing a dilemma, one trying to convince the other and the clock was ticking.

  
  


That's when Tom offered himself, like a knight in shining armor, to accompany the new girl into the Slytherin dungeons. They both breathed in relief while Tom suppressed a smug smirk, their struggle couldn't be more convenient for him, he was very curious about Holly Portier.

  
  


Or maybe obsessed.

  
  


At dinner he heard a lot of comments about how disarranged she was but the majority of Slytherins turned out to be extremely horrified as soon as the tiny witch started to devour her food, like a famine animal. They grow much more irritated with the fact that she didn't even seem to bother with their jokes and teases.

  
  


He also hear them discussing about the fact none of them ever heard about any House Portier among the Wizarding World, so the girl was obviously a ' _mudblood_ ' who must have stolen her good quality clothes from someone else. “No way a person with a good amount of money would behave like that!” Tom heard a sixth year said.

  
  


Well, they never heard about any wizard or witch with the "Riddle" name either, and Tom was almost certain his father is (or was) a powerful wizard, even though he still couldn't find any register of any "Riddle" inside the Trophy room or other registers at Hogwarts.

  
  


It could be the same case with the new girl.

  
  


Tom felt there was something special about the small witch since the first time he put his eyes on her at the Great Hall, when no one else seemed to notice her presence.

  
  


That witch wasn't aboard the Hogwarts Express. Tom was sure of that, he would remember if he saw a girl as exquisite as her. So tiny and sylphlike, like a fragile porcelain doll with fair skin and dark jet-black hair. He couldn't see clearly the color of her eyes at that distance, but he knew it wasn't as dark as his. Yet, he could see her face was slightly pink and puffy, like she was crying or just woke up from a nap.

  
  


‘ _She is like the Snow White princess._ ’ Tom recalled the muggle fairy tale so popular among the orphanage girls. The beautiful princess with ebony hair, rose lips and skin as white as snow.

  
  


Tom was lost in thought when their eyes crossed for the first time. His body entered on full alert mode. His breath was caught on his throat and he felt a shiver run a through his spine. Something inside him was screaming 'danger'. Even the hair on his arms prickled.

  
  


All because of a stare that longed for no more than a second. Tom never felt anything like that just looking at someone, even when he met Dumbledore as an eleven years old kid. And they sat close to each other, the girl was distant from him.

  
  


The witch had his curiosity but now got his attention. Even so, he forced himself to take his eyes away from her, avoiding to caught anyone else's attention from his new interest. So he talked with Lestrange and Dolohov until the Headmaster Dippet introduced the new witch and Dumbledore put the Sorting Hat on her head.

  
  


They all waited around ten minutes until the Sorting Hat screamed ' _Slytherin_ '.

  
  


None of his housemates expected that. Tom included.

  
  


At first impression, a girl with her appearance would fit well in Hufflepuff with her untidy clothes. The house of the outcasts and unworthy people. The waste. Even inside Gryffindor there wasn't Tomboyish girls like her, yet she could fit well there too.

  
  


The Lions and the Badgers didn’t valued looks as much as Ravenclaws and Slytherins. The ladies from that houses being the most elegant and feminine ones, always with perfect hair, make-up and sometimes even expensive perfume and jewels. That girl had none. She was like a long-haired boy dressed with a skirt.

  
  


The new witch is very good-looking indeed, but it was like she didn't want to look pretty at all. Her shirt open on the first two buttons and outside her skirt, her tie loose in a very unladylike way. The majority of Slytherin girls wrinkled their noses at her, the only one who actually had an amused smirk was Lucretia Black, who greeted the new witch with a polite nod when she passed by.

  
  


Anyway, Tom was always a polite gentleman and stood up to greet her properly. When he took her hand on his, he felt a tingly hot sensation passing all over him. Probably common sense leaving his body, considering all strange thoughts that crossed his mind in a matter of seconds. Closely, she was even more beautiful, with pink lips and some freckles on her nose and under her eyes. Emerald eyes. They had a rare shade of green and were so bright and so intense he was entranced by them.

  
  


He was lost maybe for 3 or 5 seconds, when she broke their contact and sat near the youngest students and far away from her future classmates.

  
  


Tom sat down and smirked at a comment Lestrange made that he actually didn't heard. He needed to mask his strange emotions from his housemates. He barely talked with the tiny witch and he was already feeling himself at lost. What the hell happened with him?

  
  


There is something very fishy about this new girl and he wants to be the first one to discover it. And he needs to be careful. Maybe he isn't the only one who felt strange things about the witch, but he would only know that after hearing the talk of his roommates. They love to talk about women and they will probably have a lot of things to tell about a new cute witch. Lots of dirty talks coming out the mouth of hormonal teenagers who liked to talk big, trying to not appear the virgins some of them actually were.

  
  


Tom will have time to probe about her while walking by her side, until they reach the dungeons. He already planned to take a longer path so they could have time to talk while showing her a small view of Hogwarts’ wonders.

  
  


While waiting for the end of her reunion with the Headmaster Dippet, Tom was thinking about the opportunity he has to kill two birds with one stone. First, the prefect ladies would feel in debt with him and very grateful, what he could turn into a good advantage on the near future if he plays well. Second, he has the chance to befriend the new girl first and maybe conquer her graces too. Sloppy appearances apart, he noticed the quality of her clothes. If she is wealthy or her family has prestige, it would be a wise move to be her ally, who knows what he can gain from that? Better be safe than sorry.

  
  


The new witch is a mystery and made Tom feel agitated in so many ways he couldn't comprehend. It wasn't just because of her looks, it was something more deeper than that. His sixth sense was buzzing and warning him about something. That tiny witch is much more than she actually looks.

  
  


' _She couldn't be sorted into Slytherin for nothing_.' Tom knew that with all his heart. Slytherin is the house with slightly fewer students, followed by Ravenclaw. The two houses being the most picky ones, their students being much better than the ones of the other two houses, especially on grades.

  
  


It's not clever to judge a book by its cover. Tom himself is the perfect example. He is poor, yet he was sorted into Slytherin and as time passed, he showed how worthy he was to hold the snake's crest on his second-hand robes.

  
  


His new classmate is probably the same as him, powerful and dangerous, a wolf in sheep's clothing. Tom is very curious about the Slytherin traits this witch possesses.

  
  


Well, she made a poor impression of herself at her first day, so cunning definitely isn’t her stronger suit.

  
  


Tom’s mind fluttered about how good looking Holly Portier would be if dressed in an elegant pure-blood and lady-like outfit when he heard the Gargoyle statue moving. He straightened himself to face her and put his best charming smirk on his face. He knew a lot of girls found him attractive and he tried to use that at his advantage.

  
  


For his surprise, the tiny witch frowned at him. One moment he blinked, the second after, she had her wand pointed menacingly at his direction, in a full-on battle stance.

  
  


"What are you doing here?" She asked him in a low voice. Tom spotted something flashing on her eyes. Fear maybe. But why fear? They barely met and the girl didn't knew the degree of how dangerous Tom actually could be. Why be so wary of him? He never saw a lady so defensive before, and he is the terror of his orphanage.

  
  


Tom stood still on the same position, hands inside the pockets of his robes. He brushed the handle of his wand with the tip of his fingers but didn't draw it. He stared her with a puzzled look, his smirk fading from his handsome face. Her extreme reaction was the last one he would predict and that was a rare occasion he found himself at a loss of words. He raised a brow at her after a moment."I'm here to show you the way to Slytherin's Common Room," His eyes kept locked on hers, ignoring completely the wand pointed at his chest."Soon it will be past curfew and you are new in Hogwarts. It's better if you don't get lost." He spoke with a mask of serenity, while his mind was in turmoil.

  
  


‘ _It is really rare to see a girl_ _behave_ _like that. T_ _hey usually try to act like weaklings or damsels in distress. This girl is showing her claws.’_ Tom thought with himself. _‘ So this flower has thorns...’_

  
  


"Why you are the one here and not the female prefect?" She didn't move an inch from her attack stance, seeming very suspicious of him.

  
  


"She wasn't feeling well and asked me to show you the way into Slytherin's Common Room on her place." Tom could lie like he was breathing. He purposefully didn't mention 'Slytherin's dungeons', afraid to frighten her completely. He needed to gain her trust. "I'm not here to hurt you." He gave her an assertive smile. The tiny witch stared at him like she just realized something.

  
  


"Oh... okay... Hm... sorry about this," She was now a little flushed, probably ashamed of her overreaction. It was like she was a completely different person.

  
  


Holly walked towards him, her hands inside her pocket and he knew she was still holding her wand. Tom waited for her to be near him so they could walk side by side. Tom explained a few important things about Hogwarts and gave her some advice, so he could break the ice before starting to ask her more personal things.

  
  


Considering the way he felt with their first interactions, it was a surprise for him to feel incredibly calm near her presence. He was afraid to embarrass himself being too nervous to talk or too giddy. He was thankful he was as normal as always. The girl heard him talk averting his gaze, staring at the floor or the walls instead.

  
  


The most strange thing he noticed was the fact she didn't seemed awed with Hogwarts at all. All its greatness, the magical paintings that moved, the tapestries... The greatness of the castle itself... like it was nothing to her. She acted like any older student who was already familiarized with the castle's corridors. Tom took a longer path so they could talk while he showed her a thing or two. He was completely frustrated with her lack of interest. Even the new year pure-bloods coming from high aristocracy looked dazzled on their first days.

  
  


"Why are you taking a longer path to the Dungeons?" The small witch finally asked him something. A question he didn't expected from a newcomer. "We are still on the second-floor."

  
  


"Yes," Tom stopped to face her and she did the same. " I wanted to show you a thing or two, since is your **first day** ," Tom stared at her with a questioning look. She looked up at him. She is really, really small. "How do you know that?"

  
  


The witch widened her eyes and gaped at him in surprise. "Oh..." She stared at the floor again, suddenly looking incredibly nervous. "Actually... it's not my first day inside the castle," She stared up at him again. " I was here the past few days... just before the start of the new term," She was talking more slowly than before and her voice faltered a little. "But I don't know well the way to the dungeons." Holly showed her white teeth to him briefly, a fail attempt to smile.

  
  


Tom stared at her with an impassive and neutral expression. He smirked at her. "I see..." Tom was now certain she was hiding something. He knew she just told him a half-lie. What was truth on her story he couldn't discern or why she was lying. He didn't voiced his suspicions, it's his best interest to not confront her yet. Part of him felt relieved that she already knew Hogwarts a little, and that would be a good excuse for her lack of interest.

  
  


"I need to ask you something," Tom started, he saw a glint of panic crossing the girl's face but he acted like he didn't notice. "You were a hatstall. Why?"

  
  


Holly sighed in relief.

  
  


' _Too easy to read to be in Slytherin_.' Tom was uneasy, that girl has a lot of secrets and each second that passes, he is more puzzled how the hell she ended in the same House as him.

  
  


"Oh... the Sorting Hat was between putting me on Gryffindor or Slytherin."

  
  


"Gryffindor?" Tom eyed her head to toe. "I would never imagine you on Gryffindor."

  
  


' _Gryffindor w_ _ould be my second guess for you, just after Hufflepuff_ _.'_ He thought to himself.

  
  


"Why?" The witch asked with an expression as she was slightly offended.

  
  


"Well, sorry for my rudeness, but I can't conceive a lady with your... height... being brave or acting careless, jumping into a fight to show how courageous you are or to save someone." He explained as best as he could, trying to be polite. It wasn't a lie, actually, even though he thought it was rash of her to point a wand at him a few minutes ago. Acting impulsive was indeed a Gryffindor trait, but he could also see that as self-preservation, what was a characteristic of the Snakes. He would only understand her true motives if he tried to read her mind, but he wouldn't risk it and lose her potential trust on him.

  
  


"You would be surprised." Holly snorted inelegantly. Tom raised an eyebrow in disbelief. It was difficult to predict her reactions.

  
  


"Why the Hat put you inside Slytherin, then?" Tom finally asked the million galleon question, trying to feign disinterest, while he actually felt the opposite.

  
  


"I may have a secret or two." The girl stared him with a mischievous look on her face and a smirk she was trying to suppress and failing miserably. Tom hold his breath, trying to calm himself with her answer that revealed nothing to him, except the fact this girl could be a troublemaker. Why she was so amused?

  
  


"Really? Please do share," He gave her a charming smile. He probably looked quite flirtatious, but he didn't care.

  
  


She snorted.

  
  


Not a cute giggle of a female that was a little embarrassed with a man's advance. It was like she was having fun at his expenses. She snorted like a pig and was obviously trying to not laugh her ass off.

  
  


Tom's best smile always had good effects on the opposite sex. Like turning them nervous in a good way or making them bend more easily into his will to share secrets, books or information. He used it on few occasions yet they were always a success. That tiny little witch snorted like Tom was acting as a clown, doing tricks in front of a kid or maybe telling jokes. He felt outraged.

  
  


"Why would I spoil the fun?" Tom used all his will power to fake a smile of contempt with her answer. It would be much easier if she was a man and he wouldn't bother to take his answer by force. But he didn’t like to hurt girls. Only if absolutely necessary. He was still a child the last time he hurt one.

  
  


‘ _Women are indeed devilish creatures. One must tread carefully while dealing with them._ ’ He thought bitterly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Notes: 
> 
> This story is in Tom's POV. I don't share his opinions. If you consider yourself a Hufflepuff, please don't be offended!
> 
> Also if you are a woman (like me lol). We are inside the head of a baby Darklord at 1942. I was actually too soft. lol
> 
> I was planning on put more things, but it would be too long, so their talk will continue on the next chapter.
> 
> Be safe and healthy! Thanks for reading!


	6. Moaning Myrtle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tom, Myrtle and Holly's new roommates. Hope you enjoy!

Tom and Holly were walking near the female bathroom on the second-floor when they heard sobs. Holly noticed Tom rolling his eyes.

  
  


"Don't worry, it's just Warren... she's always crying around there," He lets out a sigh, "I almost forgot this year will be my turn to deal with her." Tom pointed proudly his silver prefect badge to Holly, a faint smirk tugging on the corners of his mouth. "I'll be right back." Holly hold a snort, seeing Tom Riddle peacocking himself to her.

  
  


"Warren, it's almost past curfew, you need to go back to your dormitories," Tom said with a loud voice after knocking three times on the bathroom's door. The sobs ceased for a moment and then Holly heard some whimpers. Tom let out another sigh, clearly impatient. "Warren, I'll start to take points if you don't hurry up."

  
  


Holly always thought Voldemort discovered the secret passageway to the Chamber of Secrets because he was just a pervert. If he had to deal with Myrtle during his prefect duties it made more sense. Maybe he even discovered by accident the small snake engraved on the side of one of the taps on the sink.

  
  


"S-sorry, I'm coming out," The bathroom door opened and from inside it emerged a face well known by Holly. The difference is this time she has flesh and bones, unlike her ghost friend at Hogwarts, Myrtle Warren.

  
  


The Ravenclaw witch has hair and eyes with a chestnut-brown color, thick glasses and some pimples on her face. She is a little taller than Holly, like most people above third year.

  
  


"Hello, I am Holly Portier," she extended an arm to Myrtle, causing her to jump in surprise, like a scaredy-cat. "Nice to meet you." Holly opened a warm smile at her.

  
  


Myrtle stared at Holly like she just grown a second head, gaping like a fish out of water and clearly surprised with someone being so nice to her. Myrtle was more nervous by Holly's presence than Tom's. She didn't take Holly's hands, too shy, but she nodded to her, very tense, and burst out towards the stairs, going to Ravenclaw Tower's direction.

  
  


Of course she would be more skittish alive than as a ghost, being constantly bullied and mocked. Holly was determined to gain her trust and protect her anyway. From the bullies and from the basilisk.

  
  


It took Holly a long time to befriend the sensible ghost, who was easily offended. They grew pretty close on Holly's fourth year during the Triwizard Tournament, while the majority of Hogwarts students treated Holly like an outcast, not for the first time. Even Ron turned his back on her.

  
  


It seemed that Holly was only truly welcomed by outcasts or weird people. Hermione, Hagrid, Lupin, Sirius, Myrtle, Luna... People's heart were very flickering and she new this better than anyone else. She was the heroine of the magical world until they discovered she was a parselmouth. After that, it got worse year by year. From world's savior, she became a liar and a fraud in the eyes of wizarding community.

  
  


That's why she was truly loyal with the ones who never left her side. Ghost or not, Myrtle was one of them, comforting Holly on multiple occasions.

  
  


The witch is decided to put Myrtle Warren under her wing. She won't let the witch suffer on her presence anymore.

  
  


"Don't approach her, she's a _mudblood_." Tom stated on a cold tone, interrupting the chain of Holly's thoughts.

  
  


"I don't like this name," Holly stared up at him not concerned at all in hiding the disgust on her face. "What's the problem if she's a _**muggleborn**_?" Holly emphasized the last word, as if challenging him to say the pejorative term instead. Tom raised an eyebrow to her.

  
  


"Because she is lesser than any of us," He said, straightening himself to impose his presence. Voldemort didn't like to be opposed, it wasn't a surprise he was the same as a teenager. "Unless you are a _**mudblood**_ too, then maybe you two deserve each other." He flashed a mockingly smirk to her, after spatting the 'm-word' with repugnance.

  
  


"If she was blessed with magic even without magical parents, I think she is more special and rare than any pure-blood." Holly kept her stance, lifting her chin to him, not in the least intimidated by his height.

  
  


Tom opened his mouth to quip, but he closed it and stared her in silence for a few seconds. Then, his brows furrowed "I never stopped to consider it by this point of view," He sounded genuine and step back from her, seeming pensive for a few seconds. "Anyway, the people of our House don't like muggles and _mudbloods_. They are scum and it's better if you step cautiously or you will be rejected." He returned to his oppressive stance, his face a little closer to hers. "The other houses usually don't like us, Snakes." It was clear he was trying to inspire fear on her heart. "The last thing you will want to be is a loner inside your own House," He stared intently at her eyes and then all over her face, lingering a little longer at her pursed lips before he locked eyes with her again. "You will want people to watch your back," He looked down her lips one more time before step back from the small witch.

  
  


Fury coiled inside Holly's body seeing the young form of her Nemesis trying to oppress her with a stupid display of masculine dominance that any common muggle could do. Similar to how Dudley acted when he wanted to frighten her during summer vacations, when she was prohibited to use her magic.

  
  


Holly gave a step forward and lifted her chin to him, defiant. "Luck for me, I am perfectly able to protect myself." She put her hand back inside the pocket on her robe where her wand was. That gesture made Tom breath out a chuckle, but his dark eyes flashed with awareness. "Better alone than in bad company," She eyed him head to toe with a sneer that didn't match well her delicate features.

  
  


Tom stared down at her, eyes twinkling with mirth, pressing his lips as to hold a laugh. It was like he was watching a cute and harmless animal defying a dangerous predator. That made her furious. Holly was about to hex him when he finally spoke.

  
  


"You clearly don't have the slightest idea of what you are talking about." Then, he opened a sarcastic smile. "Or maybe the Hat should have put you inside Gryffindor... you surely talk big, trying to seem brave and all... but you only look pitiable." Holly gasped, outraged, what made his smile widens. "Acting like that, you won't last a week in Slytherin."

  
  


Holly pressed her index finger on his chest. "You know nothing about me." He clenched his jaw with her audacity to touch him so casually. His smile faded and his gaze burned in a stormy anger, his nostrils flared.

  
  


Holly was playing with fire.

  
  


"Don't push your luck," He gave a step back and opened a cold smile at her. "I am the last person you will want as an enemy." His voice was sugary-like but filled with venom. Holly couldn't contain the chuckle that come out of her. That made he narrow his eyes.

  
  


Holly knew very well the bitter truth about his last statement. She knew as better as anyone could. She glared intently at his dark orbes. "I can say the same," Their eyes remained locked on each other's for a long moment. Obsidian fixed on emerald. Witch and wizard scrutinizing each other, searching for any sign of weakness, studying quietly their opponent. Tom was the first to break the silence.

  
  


"Why are you a _mudblood_ defender? Are you one of them?" He asked with a serene mask, but Holly could feel the intensity of his rage. She knew Voldemort hated muggles. Was it just because his father was one of them?

  
  


"Why do you care? Afraid to be my declared enemy? Holly's brows furrowed deeper at Tom, and for her surprise, he breathed a laugh. This jerk isn't taking her seriously.

  
  


"If you are one of them, better keep that secret to yourself," He had a wolfish smirk. Before he could complement whatever else he wanted to say, the tiny witch interrupted him.

  
  


"Talking by self-experience, _**Riddle**_?" She said his muggle surname slowly. She was savoring the sensation to throw his own prejudice against his face. His expression darkened instantly into one of pure raw fury. Holly just broke his mask. She felt a shiver running down her spine. Even with a handsome face he was scary when angry. When she faced the Diary, he didn't get as furious as Tom was now.

  
  


"I'm. Not. A. _**Mudblood**_." He spat the words at her with gritted teeth, his nose almost touching hers. For a second, she remembered how close Voldemort snake-like face was from her at the cemetery when she couldn't move. Her breath faltered with the remembrance and Tom noticed the fear that crossed her eyes. He gave her a smug smirk of victory, misreading Holly completely.

  
  


She let him thought he succeeded into making her terrified of him, just realizing how foolish she was being, pissing off baby Voldemort, when she was supposed to befriend him while his soul wasn't full tainted. She couldn't condemn a person who wasn't guilty yet.

At least on killing Myrtle, she actually didn't know the extension of Tom Riddle's sins or if he could be redeemed. That's why she would give him the benefit of doubt.

  
  


Sirius was thrown inside Azkaban to rot there for twelve years, without a trial. How could she punish or judge a teenager as old as her, who probably didn't commit any crime.

  
  


Holly used the _Cruciatus_ on Bellatrix, after all. She had a huge slip after a shitty year in a life full of losses and misery. She felt the urge to at least try to understand Tom Riddle before openly declare him as an enemy.

  
  


Holly recoiled from him, to caught her breath and try to change the tension in the air. He observed her in silence.

  
  


"What would change for you if were just a muggleborn?" The witch finally asked, after thinking a little. "To traditionalists pure-bloods you'll never be as good as them anyway, no matter how hard you try, so why blood status matters so much if magic can be performed anyway by any wizard or witch?"

  
  


His expression softened just a little. Holly didn't know, but she was the first person who made Tom think about muggleborns for other aspects and points of view. It took him a few seconds before he finally answered her.

  
  


"I think you made a valid point about muggleborns." Maybe he was trying to be diplomatic, however, it was the first time he didn't used the term ' _mudblood_ ' in front of her. "But I still hate muggles with all my heart and nothing you say can change my mind." He sneered. She knew his disdain wasn't direct at her this time.

  
  


"Why do you hate muggles so much?" Holly looked up at him with her bright emerald eyes. Her expression was one of pure curiosity, not criticism. That made Tom feel a little more at ease to continue their conversation.

  
  


"I think you don't know how cruel muggles can be with people who are 'different' from them," His eyes were filled with bitterness and anger.

  
  


' _So, his childhood was as shit as hers, apparently.'_

  
  


"Actually I know pretty well, I was raised by muggles." Tom was caught off-guard by her statement, his brows furrowing. "And they were despicable. The worst kind of people, if you ask me," She flashed him a wry smile," they were very bad to me, I'm glad I'll never see them again."

  
  


Tom's lips tugged on a smirk. "So we share the same opinions about muggles, at least?" His eyes bored into hers with a renewed intensity. That awakened conflicted thoughts and feelings inside her heart.

  
  


She hated the Dursleys as much as most of the muggles she met until she was eleven. No adult ever cared about her and the visible abuse she suffered. The children bullied and tormented her. Tom's eyes scrutinized her face. He had a small smirk, like he knew exactly about her torment.

  
  


This was different for Tom. Most Slytherins despised muggles and muggleborns just because they considered them as inferior creatures. This girl experienced their bad treatment, just like him.

  
  


"I don't hate all of them," Holly finally said, her voice almost a whisper, like she wasn't really sure about that. Tom smiled with her insecurity, she was too easy to read. Holly swallowed a lump on her throat before she could complement. "My best friend was a muggleborn and their parents were good people... also my grandparents by my mother side..." Tom's eyes narrowed with her revelation. "They died and I never met them, but I knew my mother was a good person and I think they were too," Her voice faltered a little when her mind fluttered to her aunt Petunia, who was her mother's sister and the muggle she hated most in the world.

  
  


"My mother and my best friends were muggleborns," Holly repeated. "And I am very proud of them... they were brilliant." Her breath was a little shaken in her last sentence. She hold the air on her lungs, trying to fight back tears that were threatening to roll from her eyes.

  
  


Talking about Hermione as someone from her past made her chest tighten. She just talked to her a few hours ago and never could imagine it would took decades to see her again, as a complete stranger, **if** she didn’t failed on her mission to stop Voldemort to raise as a Dark Lord.

  
  


Holly consciously made her choice about coming back to the past, but just now she realized the full weight of her resolution and how cruel it actually was.

  
  


She was truly alone and on the best scenario, where she is able to save the world and the future of her loved ones, nobody will know who she really is. She will never have the same bond with Hermione as before, or with any other of her friends and family. The bond of the first friendship, first experiences together at Hogwarts, the adventures, the shared secrets and even the bad moments.

  
  


All gone.

  
  


Holly is now the lone bearer of memories that never happened in this timeline and never will.

  
  


If her mission succeed, she will be the only one who knows it. If she meet James and Lily one day, she won't be able to receive a hug from them as parents, because she isn't their daughter in this timeline and never will be. Sirius won't be her godfather. Lupin won't be the Defense Against Dark Arts professor who teach her how to produce a Patronus. Snape won't be her potions mentor. Hermione will be never her best friend or roommate at Hogwarts. They won't be able to have girl's talk as teenagers, sharing their experiences about boys or their first kisses… learning new spells together and discovering things.

  
  


Her best friend wasn’t dead, she wasn’t even born yet, but it was like she was deceased in a certain way. All her friends and family truly gone. Holly is now in a moment in space and time where she doesn’t belong. Of course there is still a faint hope of a glorious future when the people she love will be alive and happy, but her sudden realization made Holly feel her chest empty for a moment.

  
  


When she accomplishes her mission, she won’t have the warm embrace of her friends as consolation like happened so many times on her past, after she confronted all sorts of danger.

  
  


Holly felt more lonely than when she was locked inside her cupboard as a child.

  
  


A heavy hand squeezed her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?" Tom stared at her, more puzzled than concerned. Her vision a little blurry.

  
  


"I'm fine, sorry, I got distracted..." Holly started to walk again towards the dungeons, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hands. Tom just followed silently, until he was by her side.

  
  


_'I prefer the people I love alive and happy, even if they will never remember me.'_

  
  


Tom was brooding by her side. She only told him about a muggleborn mother, so it was likely her father was a wizard. If she was raised by muggles, the witch was possibly an orphan just like Tom. Her father can be deceased like her mother appeared to be, or just absent.

  
  


He had no idea if the girl was a powerful witch or just a show-off. He was more inclined to think of her as someone who had a lot of hardships on her past, because she was quick to drawn her wand and wasn't easily intimidated. Of course she could just be an idiot, but at the same time she raised more questions inside his mind. The most important of all, ' _How the hell she got sorted into Slytherin?_ '

  
  


She is too easy to read, a mudblood sympathizer who speaks her mind and don't seem to care about external appearances or to be alone by herself. A tiny witch who isn't afraid to oppose someone twice her size who was also prefect of her own House and could bring her real trouble. She is more likely a typical Gryffindor dunderhead, acting before thinking or without caring about the consequences.

  
  


"What classes you'll be taking?" Tom asked after a long silence, they both near the entrance of Slytherin Common Room. Maybe he could find some answers if he knew better about her interests.

  
  


"Muggle Studies is the only one I'm not taking." Holly answered almost in auto-pilot, still lost in thought about the people she lost."What are the ones you are taking?"

  
  


"Same as you." That's good news. She'll be able to watch him closely. "I thought about doing Muggle Studies on my third year just to see it by the perspective of the wizarding society, but I had enough of muggles for an entire life," Holly laughs with his comment. Tom thought it was because of his despise for muggles, but it was actually because he reminded her of Hermione on the third year, who took the classes of Muggle Studies even being a muggleborn, because she thought it would be fascinating to study muggles from the wizarding point of view.

  
  


"So, you must be a bookworm." Holly said, amused.

  
  


"We both are doing a lot of subjects... usually the other students just pick two or three electives." He smirked to her. "Pot, meet kettle."

  
  


That would be Holly's case if she didn't want to befriend Hagrid and keep an eye on Tom. She didn’t give a damn about Care of Magical Creatures or Divination. He would be disappointed to think Holly was an intellectual person. She was very good in some subjects, indeed, and she is also thirsty for knowledge. But she is too lazy to do homework, essays or to get perfect scores on everything like Hermione did. She wasn’t good at Herbology or History of Magic, either.

  
  


"What are your favorites subjects?" Tom asked her with sincere interest.

  
  


"Potions, Defense Against Dark Arts and Transfiguration. But I consider myself very good on Charms too." She recalled the fake Galleons she made with Hermione, among other things, like making Undetectable Extension Charms on her pockets, trunks and satchels. After the Quidditch World Cup, Holly and Hermione became obsessed with Extension Charms and after mastering them, they started to use them pretty often. Tom narrowed his eyes, a small frown on his eyebrows.

  
  


"Same as me... maybe I can teach you a thing or two," He flashed her a haughty grin in provocation.

  
  


_'Jerk...'_

  
  


"Good for you, I'll probably suffer on History of Magic and Herbology... maybe in Divination too, but who knows?" The witch shrugged. Suddenly she felt an impulse to taunt him a little. "So, are you trying to be the greatest wizard of all time too?" Holly had to struggle not to bark a laugh when he widened his eyes for a fraction of second. "Maybe I can guard you a seat for the second position." She knew pretty well Voldemort was ambitious and wanted to achieve greatness. The chances he dreamed that as a teenager were high. Actually, all Holly ever wanted was to have a normal, happy life, but she liked to play with fire and it was difficult to resist the urge to tease Babymort. It was worthy in this case to lie about her true dreams.

  
  


"We shall see." Tom gave her a charming smile and a wink.

  
  


He. Winked. At. Her.

  
  


Holly was appalled with Tom Riddle flirting with her so openly. And she met him just few hours ago! It would never crossed her mind that Voldemort was a player.

  
  


"Stop being ridiculous!” She blurted out on the heat of the moment and then cursed herself. She shouldn’t antagonize him.

  
  


Instead of being irritated with her, Tom chuckled. This time he flirted just for teasing her, since she seemed immune to his charms. He really enjoyed she was infuriated. She was really cute like that.

  
  


"We arrived," Tom told the password and the entrance to the Common Room was revealed behind a bare stretch of stone wall.

  
  


The room was strangely cozy, considering it was a dungeon, with greenish illumination and expensive furniture. The room had rough stone walls near the entrance and in the middle part, with small round windows. The deepest part of the room had glass walls, like a gigantic aquarium. Holly knew they were under the lake and the sight was beautiful. It was very relaxing there. The only time she entered the common room, was on her second-year and she was so nervous, polyjuiced like Crabbe, that she didn't pay any attention to the place.

  
  


There were just a few older students reading on the tables or on the couches. Tom pointed her the direction of the girls' bedchambers, and told her 'goodnight'. It was inside a large corridor, seven big doors on each side, like prison cells, one for each year. The girls' side was the left. Holly was curious about how worked the spells that prevented boys from visiting the girls' chambers. On Gryffindor, the staircase turned into a stone slide if a boy stepped on it.

  
  


When she arrived at the Girls' Dormitory, three of her new classmates were talking, already on her sleeping gowns. Two of them on the same bed, a blond chubby girl brushing the hair of the prefect, who seemed pretty well and talkative. On the other bed was a beautiful witch with dark-brown wavy hair and light-gray eyes. She was the only one who smiled at Holly. An enigmatic smile. The tiny witch greeted them shyly and darted to the only bed that had a big trunk by its side. She heard water running inside the bathroom, so probably one of her roommates was taking a bath.

  
  


Holly opened her trunk to look her new belongings. She didn't noticed the dark-haired witch observing her actions with interest, while the other two keep talking about boys, precious gems, make-up and the presents they liked to receive from boys. It was like just another night with Lavender and Parvati, but with different people inside a room decorated on silver and green, not red and gold.

  
  


Holly took a plain cotton nightgown she knew was to big for her, so she would need to adjust later, inside the bathroom. She also took giant underpants, a proper model for the witches at 1942. If muggle lingerie was enormous at the 40's, the traditional witch undergarments were much, much worse. She would try them anyway to see if they are comfortable to sleep. To the ones for daily use at school, she will transfigure to a size she is used to. It was far easier to transfigure clothes into a smaller size than the opposite. Enlarging clothes usually cause the fabric to lose quality and durability.

  
  


Her face flushed, thinking about Headmaster Dippet selecting her underclothes.

  
  


Of course the House-Elves did the job. Holly was very dense sometimes. The House-Elves were pretty familiar about the most common items found inside the trunks of ladies, specially clothes, considering they were the ones who did the laundry and cleaned their rooms. Holly didn't noticed, but she had a basic make-up kit among her things. They were very attentive.

  
  


Holly eyed her school materials. The books seemed in order, but the most important things she needed to take were a quill and an ink pot.

  
  


Holly hates quills. Not just Blood Quills or Quick-Quotes ones. The latter are actually a good idea, but it was extremely hard to use, demanding a huge amount of concentration. Holly tried to use once a Quick-Quotes Quill inside professor Binns' classroom, but instead of making useful notes about his boring lecture, the quill described Holly's random thoughts, like what she ate at breakfast or how she would do her new potions essay. It could be a danger if she had tested it on Umbridge's D.A.D.A class, considering she hated the witch more than Voldemort himself and thought very ill of her.

  
  


Holly was a lazy person in some aspects. That's why she hated the fact she needed to dip the tip of the quill on ink every 10 seconds, in a place were she was able to do magic. It was a retrogress. Why the Wizarding society never tried to adapt muggle ballpoint pens? They were quite simple to use and very practical. The wizards and witches were so old-fashioned sometimes it enraged Holly. They could mix the best of the two worlds, but few wizards were adept of learning about muggle science and technology.

  
  


So, Holly made some research and discovered about fountain pens, a muggle invention before the ballpoint pens and after quills. The writing style would have the same elegant essence and variable lines as if made by a common quill, with the practicality of the ballpoint pens.

  
  


She studied really hard a lot of styles and models of fountain pens and on the beginning of her fourth year she was able to transfigure a quill and an ink pot into a fountain pen in any form or color she desired, totally functional. She was lazy to dip the tip of the pen on ink, yet she studied tirelessly to understand how the smaller parts of the pen worked, how they fitted in each other, among other things.

  
  


It was rather easy to make a perfect copy of an object. But to create a functional one, it was necessary to understand how every piece of it worked.

  
  


In a way, she was proud that her magic fountain pens were a little better than the muggle ones, capable to hold much more ink and refill themselves without much trouble, it was only required to put the tip inside an ink pot and it would absorb the pigment until it became full.

  
  


She put the quill and the ink pot on the nightstand, took her wand, and started to transfigure the objects. It was a rather slow process on terms of magic, lasting from 10 to 15 seconds until it was complete. She made her new fountain pen in the same model and colors as the one she gave to Hermione, with Gryffindor's gold and red colors. That way, she would remember her dearest friend much more, every time she studied.

  
  


Holly took a piece of parchment to test the pen. She draw some lines, it worked perfectly.

  
  


"Oh my...How did you do that?" Holly jumped in surprise with the silky voice of the beautiful brown haired witch talking to her. The other two girls just grimaced at Holly. Her roommate eyed Holly's new pen with an unconventional interest in muggle technology for a Slytherin. The girl elegantly stood up and walked towards Holly, sitting on the other bed across from her. "What is this?"

  
  


The other girls stared the pair with wary faces.

  
  


"Its a pen. A fountain pen."

  
  


"Oh..." It was clear the witch knew nothing about it, but was very curious anyway.

  
  


"This is muggle tech, Lucretia." The blonde witch sneered to the pen in disdain. "Don't involve yourself with it."

  
  


The dark-brown haired witch, Lucretia, smiled at Holly. "Can I try it?" She completely ignored the advice of her friend. Holly nodded to her and put the pen on her hand, trying not to laugh with the controverted faces of the other witches. Lucretia's eyes widened in awe with the lines the pen made swiftly on the paper.

  
  


"It's so smooth... And you don't need to dip it inside the ink pot... It's so brilliant!" She looked into Holly's eyes with her gray ones. They had just a little lighter tone than Sirius'. "I love it! Can you transform my quill and my ink pot in one too?" The other witches gasped. Lucretia didn't wait for Holly's answer, already taking the materials from the trunk under her bed. "I am so clumsy! I always spill ink on my notes and on my clothes!" Holly could relate.

  
  


"Sure," Holly smiled sheepishly at Lucretia, who looked at her again with a bright smile. She was very pretty. "What color do you want it?" Holly took the black quill and ink pot from the other witch. They looked very expensive.

  
  


"Can you make it black with silver details? Similar as yours?" Holly nodded and started to transform the materials. The body of Lucretia's fountain pen was longer and more slim than hers, with an elegant design.

  
  


"Here," Holly pulled the top and gave the pen to Lucretia. Her gray eyes sparkled, and she was really cheerful. The witch scratched some lines on the paper, her smile widened. Holly remembered Mr. Weasley and how he was fascinated with muggle inventions. Lucretia was like a child playing with her new Christmas present.

  
  


"Thank you so much! How much I owe you?" She said it with a formal smile.

  
  


"Oh... it's fine, you don't need to pay me," Lucretia raised her eyebrows. Holly knew Slytherins weren't used to small free favors, unlike Gryffindors and Hufflepuffs, who did things for free all the time.

  
  


Lucretia stared at her with an unreadable expression and a smirk difficult to decipher. She could be suspicious or just amused by receiving a free gift. Maybe both.

  
  


"You sure?"

  
  


"Yeah, don't worry about it." Holly gave her a reassuring smile. The other witched put her present inside her black satchel and extended a hand to Holly. Slytherins also liked advantageous transactions and presents.

  
  


"I am Lucretia Black, by the way." She flashed her perfect white teeth to Holly. "Nice to meet you."

  
  


Holly couldn't help herself to open a bright smile to Lucretia by the mention of the 'Black' name. She was Sirius' aunt, but she didn't remembered whom she married or if she had kids. "Holly Portier." They shook hands. "Nice to meet you too."

  
  


The other witches glared at Holly with narrowed eyes. At that moment, Holly knew that they would probably ignore Lucretia for wanting muggle technology if she wasn't from a noble and important pure-blood family.

  
  


Of course they would be more narrow-minded at the 40's. Even on the 90's the students looked disapprovingly at her and Hermione's fountain pens. Holly always glamoured hers into a common quill inside Dolores' classes.

  
  


When a blonde girl left the bathroom, Holly entered it. She adjusted the size of her nightgown, took a bath and used a 'S _courgify_ ' to clean her school uniform, her knickers and her socks. She had other clothes to adjust, but she would do it tomorrow. A lot of things happened on the last couple of hours and she needed a good rest to process everything.

  
  


She took the book about Time-Travel she received from the Gatekeeper from inside a pocket on her robes that had an Undetectable Extension Charm. She would read it until she felt asleep.

  
  


Tomorrow would be her first morning on a blank-paged life. A new start full of possibilities and a new school term without the menace of a Dark Wizard trying to kill her. Not yet, at least.

(Holly is just like it. lol)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all stay safe and healthy in this quarantine. Until the next chapter! :3


	7. The Dawn of the First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Holly's first morning at 1942. I hope you enjoy it! :D

Wednesday, September 2, 1942

  
  


Holly woke up that morning ruminating about the strangest dream she ever had in her life. It was so real and related to Time Travel, she being sorted in Slytherin and an awkward conversation with Babymort, who also flirted with her! She was still half asleep thinking about everything that happened, staring at the ceiling. A ceiling made of stone, so different from the one in Gryffindor, where she used to sleep.

  
  


She blinked. Twice.

  
  


She turned her face and her eyes flittered around the room. It was decorated in details of green and silver on the furniture and the bed covers. The walls made in stone. Outside the windows of the room she could see fishes swimming.

  
  


_'Merlin's balls... it wasn't a dream at all!'_

  
  


Holly was alone in the room, she casts a _tempus_ charm and find it's already 7:30. The breakfast already started and it would be the first day of classes, she needed to hurry up!

  
  


The witch dressed herself as fast as she could, her shirt unbuttoned on top and her tie loose. She shoved the gray sweater and the black robes inside her school bag, if any teacher complained. She put an Extension Charm on the bag the night before, so she had all her new books and school materials inside of it, with Feather-light charms. Magic made everything practical! She cleaned her face on the bathroom and tried to tame a little the wild mess it was her hair at mornings. She let it loose.

  
  


Holly rushed to the Common Room, saw the password for the day on the bulletin board and ran straight forward to the Great Hall.

  
  


Holly was greeted by sneers of disapproval from the housemates who didn't act like she was invisible. Most of them ignored her and her dress code that was worse than the night before. She found herself amused by upsetting the Slytherins.

  
  


Holly sat down near the first years. She bit a toast and almost choked in surprise when she looked the person sitting across from her. It was a Malfoy in miniature, staring at her with horror in his face. His features were more delicate than Draco’s when they both had eleven. His eyes were light blue, unlike Draco’s, who had the gray eyes so common on the Blacks. He was Narcissa’s son after all. She was almost sure the mini Malfoy in front of her was Abraxas Malfoy, Draco’s grandfather.

  
  


_'Bloody hell! He is so cute!'_ Holly thought with herself, remembering how she hated Draco on their first years, and even thinking he was handsome, she always wanted to punch his face. Being older, she wanted to hug and squeeze his cheeks just to torment him. Now she knew where the Malfoy’s sneer came from. The first year blonde scrunched up his nose like he smelled something putrid. He was a bit smaller than her, fact that will most likely end in a year or two. She couldn’t help herself to smile at him, who looked to other side, embarassed. His ears with a strong pink color.

  
  


Holly ate quickly her breakfast, but more composed than yesterday and not like a caveman.

  
  


At 8:30 the prefects started to gave the schedules for the students. Tom was the one to give Holly hers.

  
  


"We will have double potions first. It will be in the dungeons, you just need to follow me and our other classmates." He gave her a polite smile. If he was horrified with her dressing code, he didn't let it shown.

  
  


Holly beamed. "Double potions on our first day? If you sit near me I can teach you a thing or two," She smiled at him mischievously, clearly teasing him about the way he told the same thing to her the night before. The Slytherins who were observing them seemed tense and an awkward silence felt on the table.

  
  


Tom eyed her with a knowing look and smirked maliciously. "Well, if you are so desperate to sit by my side, I'll think about it."

  
  


Some first years snorted and some girls muffled their giggles. Most of the older boys wasn't paying attention, the ones who heard, snickered. Holly felt her face redden. The son of a bitch distorted her words completely. She couldn't answer him, she just stared up with a gobsmacked expression. The witch just wanted to bully the dragon a little and it completely backfired. Tom treated her with indifference and gave the schedules to the first and second year boys, mirth dancing in his dark eyes. The prefect girl from her year doing the same, trying to suppress a smirk.

  
  


Holly followed the fifth year Slytherins with a frown plastered on her face, livid. She heard some whispers and more giggles and knew they were gossiping about her, like she was hitting on Tom. Lucretia was the only one who didn't laugh. She stared back at Holly, seemed a little concerned. The tiny witch wondered if Tom Riddle was already feared on the school, at least by the Slytherin. She knew he was considered a model student on his years at Hogwarts and liked by most of teachers. She was curious about the opinions of other students.

  
  


Holly took one of the first seats. It was the same classroom she was used to have Potions with Snape, but the atmosphere wasn't too heavy and dark.

  
  


Holly heard some nasty comments coming from her housemates and then Tom sat on the chair beside her with exaggerate movements. Two Slytherin boys sat beside them, laughing. Tom stared at Holly with an innocent expression, trying to hold the playful smirk that was dancing on the corners of his mouth. Holly frowned at him, visibly angry with the way he distorted her words. He breath out a laugh.

  
  


The witch wanted to punch his perfect teeth.

  
  


Holly noticed some Gryffindors entering the classroom, including Hagrid. The half-giant took a seat near the entrance and far away from Holly.

  
  


The professor arrived after five minutes, it was the Head of her House, the same man who clapped happily when she was sorted into Slytherin. Holly would never imagined he was a Snake... he seemed to be too joyful and nice for a Slytherin, at least by her experience.

  
  


He greeted the students and his gaze felt in Tom and then Holly. He opened a cheery smile. "Oh, you are the new transfer student, right? Welcome to our House!" His eyes flicked to Tom and then back to her. "You are smart to sit next my best student! Tom, take good care of her." Holly heard muffled snorts behind her and Tom clenching his jaw, trying to school his expression to not burst in laugh. He just nodded to the professor with a grin. Holly held her tongue and took a deep breath. She stared Tom, full of confidence. He smirked back at her and started to pay attention at the class. Holly did the same.

  
  


Horace Slughorn was the Potions Master and he told them about the upcoming O.W.L.s like Holly knew all professors would did on their first classes. Horace told them that would be the last year in potions for some students and Holly discovered he was less strict than Snape, who only accepted sixth year students with 'Outstanding' grades, while Slughorn told them he accepted 'Exceeds Expectations' or above on his advanced classes.

  
  


"I have a surprise for all of you," Horace showed to them a small vial with a golden liquid inside. Holly gasped. "Today, one of you will receive this vial, brewed by myself, any of you know what it is?"

  
  


Holly darted her hands up, just like Hermione did on all classes. She usually just answered questions when asked, but she was really excited and determined to get that potion. Horace nodded her to answer. "It's _Felix Felicis_ , sir. Also known as liquid luck. It's very complex to brew, and require six months to stew!"

  
  


Horace puffed his chest with a proud smile on his face. "Precisely! Five points to Slytherin," Holy felt her heart beating frantically inside her chest. She tried to brew the potion on her fifth year, but something got wrong on the third month. The ingredients are expensive also, and it was really a great opportunity to put her hands on it. She already had a reason to use it. Without her Invisibility Cloak and the Marauder's Map she would need lots of luck to enter the Chamber under Babymort's nose. "I want you to brew a potion. The first one to finishes it with perfection until the end of the class will have this vial." The professor snapped his fingers and the instructions to make the Draught of Peace appeared on the blackboard. "You need to follow the instructions very carefully, if you commit any mistake, it can have drastic consequences to the person who drink it. You can take the ingredients in the store cupboard."

  
  


Holly couldn't contain her own amusement. She not only knew how to brew the Draught of Peace with perfection, without the need to look the instructions, but she also knew how to accelerate the process. Snape was a genius and he taught her a lot of his secrets. The basic potion could be made in 50 minutes. Snape taught her how to made it in almost half of the time, with extra reagents. It was important the knowledge to hasten the brewing of some potions to a Master in the area, especially when brewing healing potions or antidotes. Of course, potions like Felix Felicis or Polyjuice potion couldn’t be accelerated, and some potions only could be brewed in certain days or months, only at night or during the day. Holly loved the complexity of it and its variations.

  
  


The witch waited patiently everybody else take the ingredients, while she lit the cauldron fire and prepared her instruments on the table. She moved to take the materials just after Tom arrived beside her, with a smug look.

  
  


"No need to hurry, Portier, that vial will be mine," Tom showed her a haughty grin.

  
  


"Just watch and learn, Riddle," Holly opened a smile to him. She calmly took the ingredients listed on the blackboard. She would need the double amount of porcupine quill and powdered unicorn horns. She also took 3 other cheap ingredients to act as reagents. Slughorn raised his eyebrows with admiration.

  
  


"You sure about that, kid? It's a great risk!" He smiled fondly at her, a glint of hope in his eyes.

  
  


"It's fine, sir," She smiled at him reassuringly. "That vial will be mine," Horace chuckled, amused by her confidence. Tom observed their interaction with a scowl.

  
  


Holly started to prepare the ingredients, Tom already on the second step, his potion turning blue.

  
  


Holly made the process totally different from the blackboard. Horace observing her with a serious expression, very warily when she used the porcupine quills, yet he made no comment. Twenty seven minutes passed, Tom's potion near half-made, he added porcupine quills and was stirring, his potion gaining a red tone. He looked Holly's cauldron with the corner of his eyes. He smiled victoriously, Holly's potion in a dark-gray tone while she added something he couldn't identify but wasn't on the list. The Draught of Peace wasn’t supposed to be in that tone in either step of the process. It was clear the witch had absolutely no idea about what she was doing.

  
  


"It seems I'll really learn a lot sitting by your side... learn what I shouldn't do," The two Slytherins behind him chuckled, even with their own brewings failing completely. Holly ignored him completely, full concentrated. Tom looked up to the professor in front of him. He never saw him so deep in thought, his eyes fixed on the cauldron next to Tom’s. He wasn't even walking around the classroom like he used to do. Tom was concerned that her cauldron would explode or something like that, but Slughorn didn't look alarmed at all. Tom had a gut feeling his professor was a coward, so he relaxed a little about the risk of being hurt.

  
  


Her potion now was dark gray. Tom observed the witch adding 4 drops of hellebore, stirring counterclockwise, adding 4 more and stirring 3 times clockwise. It was like she was finishing the potion, but she put a drop more than needed. He rolled his eyes. She was stupid or crazy, maybe both.

  
  


"I finished, professor!" Holly hold up her hand. Her cauldron was emitting a silvery vapor, like it was supposed to do. Horace was strangely quiet. Holly gazed at Tom and smirked. His eyebrows were so close, he looked confused and annoyed by the sudden transformation of her potion. Some students observed Holly with curiosity. Most of them with disastrous potions and failures.

  
  


Horace put some of her potion inside a vial, sniffed and observed carefully. "It's perfect!" He beamed. "How did you learned to brew like a true Potions Master? You used methods we don't share on the books, they can be dangerous..."

  
  


"My mentor was a genius, sir."

  
  


"Oh really? Whats his name?"

  
  


"Sorry, sir... he's... gone... I don't want to talk about it..." Holly showed a sad smile. Horace didn’t pushed it. Headmaster Dippet already had a reunion with all the professors and told a little about the girl’s past to them.

  
  


"I see... well, the potion is yours, congratulations!" He took the vial of _Felix Felicis_ and gave to her. She opened a happy smile."Now let me see how are the rest doing!" Horace stood up and walked around the room, giving tips and teaching what the students did wrong on the process. He was very patient, unlike Snape, who terrified Ron and Neville.

  
  


Holly's gaze landed on Tom's. His brows were pinched together and he stared the witch in disbelief, his mouth slightly opened. She couldn’t resist the temptation to tease him a little.

  
  


"Told ya! Watch and learn!" She raised her brows at him with an arrogant smile on her face, showing him the _Felix Felicis_ vial between her fingers. He returned his attentions to his own potion, grimacing. He almost missed a step. Holly remembered Hermione, who was always very pissed with her in Potions Class after her third year, when Snape started to tutor her, giving her detentions as excuse to keep Holly under his wing, afraid of Sirius Black after he fled from Azkaban. Holly didn’t followed books’ instructions and always did things the way Snape taught her. Hermione hated be in the third position on Potions’ grade, Holly being first and Draco second. He was Snape's godson and asked tutoring lessons as well after Holly surpassed his draw with Hermione.

  
  


Holly stared the two Slytherin boys behind Tom, who were mocking her before, with a shit eating grin.

The next class after potions is History of Magic.

Holly was following her fellow Slytherin classmates to keep appearances, considering she knew how to go to the classroom already.

“Holly, dear, I have some questions about the pen you gave me,” Lucretia Black turned on her heels and dragged Holly to an empty corridor, straying themselves away from the rest of the class. She had an enigmatic smirk on her face. As soon as they were alone, her expression became somber. “Listen, dear, you must stop flirting with Tom Riddle,”

“What?” Holly widened her eyes. It was the last thing she expected coming from Lucretia’s mouth. “N-no, I’m not flirting with him – “

“He is dangerous,” Lucretia cut her off, an expression of truly concern. She looked uneasy. “You are new on our House… I think it’s my duty to warn you, you better keep your distance from him from now on,” Her voice was almost a whisper, like she was afraid of being discovered talking behind his back.

Holly blinked. At first, she thought Lucretia was jealous, just like Pansy was with Draco, but she could feel Lucretia was being earnest with her. “Dangerous? Did he do something to you?” Holly frowned. She was already familiar with Tom’s potential in becoming Lord Voldemort, but she didn’t knew if he was doing bad actions yet. Until now, in Holly’s opinion, he was only guilty of being an asshole.

“Oh, no! He is usually a gentleman with the ladies… but there is something off about him, you know? I’m not the only one who thinks it… all girls on our house are wary of him.” She looked around, to check if they were truly alone. “On our first year he was bullied by the other boys, especially the older ones. One day suddenly stopped. If you pay attention, you’ll see all other boys are frightened on his presence!” Lucretia gently cupped Holly’s face between her hands. “I know he is handsome, but keep your eyes open and don’t be alone with him,” She squeezed Holly’s face, now with a scowl. Holly felt like being scolded. “And you better start to dress better! The other girls don’t want to be seem near you like that, and we need to stick together, we are weaker alone!” She leaned closer to whisper near Holly’s ear. “We suffer lots of prejudice from other Houses, we must show unity… a stray like you will turn into an easy target!”

Holly stared up Lucretia. “Thanks you for your advice… I wasn’t flirting with Riddle... it was something about our conversation yesterday when he picked me up on Headmaster’s Office… That jerk just twisted my words. “Lucretia raised her eyebrows, studying Holly. “And I appreciate your concern, but I don’t plan to change my looks to be accepted... and don’t worry, I can fend for myself.”

Lucretia huffed. “Silly witch… I can’t help you forever if you act like that, Walburga will be on my heels!” She breathed out. “Let’s go now or we will be late!” Lucretia was clearly annoyed, Holly was impressed how well her neutral mask slipped back to her face. She had her enigmatic smirk again on place, while holding Holly’s hand, dragging her back to History class.

The professor was already there and Holly was gobsmacked that Myrtle wasn’t the only ‘ex-ghost’ she met. Sitting on the professor’s desk was no other else than professor Binns, flesh, bones and wrinkles. He was really, really old.

“Sorry, professor, for being late,” Lucretia bowed slightly as soon as she entered the class. Holly did the same, apologizing to the man. He didn’t seem to care at all and made a gesture for them to sit. Holly always had the impression professor Binns gave classes to the walls, not to the students.

Holly sat beside a Hufflepuff, near the entrance of the classroom. Lucretia had a seat reserved by one of their Slytherin roommates. Binns’ class was boring as ever, Holly just paid attention to the first few minutes, while he explained about O.W.L.s. His voice has a tone that made Holly drowsy, he wasn’t so different from his ghost version. The witch wrote what he put on the blackboard and then she took ‘Time-Travel for dummies’ from her bag and resumed from were she stopped the night before.

Holly discovered that the place where she met the Gatekeeper was a place frozen in time, not only visited by Time Travelers. Actually, they were pretty rare, especially the ones who leapt more than 10 years in time and needed a new identity to solve an important issues. The most common visitors were people abducted by fairies and other magical creatures, muggles and magic users. The time on Fairy Realm passed in a different pace, it was chaotic! Minutes inside the Fairy Realm could be the equivalent of days or years on the human world, and some people were coerced to made pacts with these creatures and sometimes gained new skills, abilities, new titles and even new identities! The most common surnames were listed on the book, but they were under a spell, so Holly forgot them as soon as she read the next word. She wondered if the Portier name had the same sort of protection if they were mentioned to these abducted people.

On the book was said that places of help to Time-Travelers were scattered around the world. Banks controlled by non humans, like Gringotts and Wandshops were safe heaven, as much as old libraries, that had lots of information and hidden books or texts. Some ancient Houses and magic places had hideouts that only could be opened by a Time Traveler holding a Time Relic. The help places existed even inside the Ministries around the world, but it was like a small oasis inside a dangerous desert. It happened a few times when a Time Traveler asked aid for their mission inside the Ministry and they were thrown in Azkaban, mad houses or tortured for intel. That’s how the first Time-Turners were created, but they are more like toys or trinkets, compared with true Time-Relics. Holly would never seek help inside the Ministry. She knew very well how incapable and corrupted the people who worked there could be, like Dolores Umbridge, Cornelius Fudge and Bartemius Crouch. Her dear Godfather was locked to rot inside Azkaban without a trial, thanks for their incompetence and injustice. Holly had lots of disappointments on her almost sixteen years of life. Most of them caused by adults in positions of power, like the people who worked for the Ministry of Magic and even Dumbledore.

Holly had lots of resentments caused by her old Headmaster, each time she stopped to think about his doings. How he hired dangerous and incompetent professors, like Quirell, Lockhart and the fake Moody. Two Death Eaters under his nose and a wizard unable of casting even basic spells!

Dumbledore was also responsible for making Holly and Hermione risk their lives on their third year to save Sirius Black and Buckbeak, instead of him, a ‘responsible adult’. He made the witches face two times a werewolf, a horde of Dementors and let Peter Petigrew escape. If Dumbledore was the one who used the Time-Turner, considering he was very powerful, he certainly would be able to capture Wormtail, save them from transformed Lupin, Dementors and lift the charges of her Godfather. She also had to face the Triwizard Tournament because a Death Eater put her name inside the Goblet of Fire, under his nose!

Think about Dumbledore lit a fire inside Holly’s chest that soured her mood. She stopped to read her Time-Travel book and took notes of the final ten minutes of Binns’ class. She didn’t have Hermione’s notes to save her ass this time, so she had to study by her books later, even hating the subject.

She noticed just now that Tom was sitting on the front row of desks and was one of the few students who seemed to pay attention on the monotonous lecture of the old professor. Her Slytherin roommates were obviously gossiping, seeming entertained while passing notes with each other. At least 10 students among Slytherins and Hufflepuffs were almost falling asleep.

The class finished and Holly goes to the Great Hall. After lunch she has double Transfiguration and is expectant to meet her new teacher.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter: the end of Holly's first day with transfiguration and the start of a new friendship.
> 
> I hope you stay safe and healthy in this quarantine! Thanks for reading my story and until next chapter!
> 
> Please, let me know if you spot any errors or mistakes. Sometimes the words appear separated when I post, I have no idea why.


	8. Bullies and Thugs

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Still on the first day of classes, making friends and enemies. :3

Wednesday, September 2, 1942 (Afternoon)

  
  


After having lunch, Holly goes straight to her Transfiguration class on the third floor. She was spacing out and forgot completely that she was supposed to wait for her Housemates. Knowing class would be with Ravenclaw made her anxious to see Myrtle Warren again.

  
  


Holly arrived ten minutes earlier at the Classroom, that was already occupied by some Ravenclaws, and she froze as soon as she stepped inside it.

  
  


Myrtle was sitting on the front line of desks, head low, while four Ravenclaw girls were sitting a few rows behind her, mocking her appearance. The Ravenclaw boys were talking loudly, absent minded about what was happening between the girls from their House.

  
  


Holly felt his blood boiling and strode down to the first row, put her things on the desk at Myrtle's right side while facing the girls with a forced smirk. "What's so funny here? I want to laugh too."

  
  


The girls raised her brows and looked down at Holly, probably judging her clothing. The leader of the group opened a widened smile, full of confidence for obtaining an ally from other House to make fun of Myrtle Warren. "You just need to turn your head to the side and see how hideous are Warren's new glasses." Myrtle hugged herself and dropped more her chin when Holly turned her head to face her. She had her stare fixed on the table, humiliated. Her eyes were glassy and Holly knew she was about to cry.

  
  


"Oh, I see indeed, it's really ridiculous..." Holly looked up again to the leader of the group, who showed an expression of camaraderie. "... four girls who definitely are displeased with themselves so they gang up against a sole person to feel better..." One of the girls gasped. " I thought Ravenclaw wasn't a House for shallow people, I suppose I was wrong." the tiny witch crossed her arms, defiant. Myrtle held a breath, her head snapped to the tiny valiant Slytherin, thunderstruck by the unexpected support.

  
  


"How dare you?" The leader of the girls stood up, slamming the table. She drawn her wand but Holly was faster, with a non-verbal _Expelliarmus_ , sending the Ravenclaw's wand away. A second girl was about to help her friend when Holly pointed her wand toward the second witch, disarming her as well. Then, the black-haired Slytherin just stared the other two with a haughty smirk, like daring them to resist. They lift their hands up, surrendering.

  
  


Holly was very proud of her reflexes and she followed Sirius' advice to practice non-verbal spells, that would be mandatory anyway after the sixth year. She practiced a lot on her fifth year, while teaching other students to defend themselves on their secret group, ‘Dumbledore’s Army’ (Also known as D.A.).

  
  


In addition, Holly dueled with Voldemort himself, his Death Eaters, and survived! Being lucky or not, she wouldn't lose to a bunch of spoiled cowards.

  
  


"Were you saying something?" Holly turned out to the leader again, a victory smirk dancing on the corners of her mouth. She was pretty sure her name was Olive Hornby, Myrtle's ghost talked a lot about her old bully, who now opened and closed her mouth, like a fish out of water, utterly defeated.

  
  


Holly didn't noticed the Slytherins' arrival while the Ravenclaw boys stood up with angered expressions. She was smiling at Myrtle, who was smiling back at her in awe and happiness. Tom and his 'gang' observing the scene that unfolded in front of them. Lucretia Black had a hand covering her mouth, eyes widened in surprise.

  
  


"Hey, what the hell is going on?" An Asian boy stormed towards Holly with furrowed eyebrows, he had a silver prefect badge, just like Tom's. The other Ravenclaw prefect was one of the bullies who surrendered and was too astonished to speak.

  
  


"Chang, this Snake attacked us!" Hornby said in a high pitched voice.

  
  


Holly scoffed. "You draw your wand first, it's not my fault your brain works too slowly for a Ravenclaw!" Myrtle muffled a snort with her hand. Then, she stood up from her chair and positioned herself beside Holly, her gaze drawn to the floor, too shy to look direct into the other people's eyes, but brave enough to backup her new friend.

  
  


Tom Riddle walked further inside the room and turned on his heels to face Chang, who was a little smaller than him. "I am ashamed by my new classmate's behavior, causing trouble to your House on her first day, Chang. I assure you it won't happen again." Tom had a neutral mask and his voice tone was polite. The Ravenclaw's prefect expression softened a little.

  
  


"The hell you are talking on my behalf, Riddle!" Holly burst out behind Tom. Both male prefects raised their eyebrows in surprise. Tom's jaw clenched and he glared at Holly in silence when she walked near them, stopping by Tom's side while facing Chang. The Ravenclaw prefect frowned at her when she pointed a finger to him, accusingly. "You were here with us! You saw them mocking Warren and you did nothing!" Chang gapped at Holly, but she didn't let him talk. "You let your classmate be bullied and don't lift a finger to help her, do you consider yourself a man?"

  
  


The class fell in deep silence.

  
  


Myrtle walked shyly and tugged on Holly's shirt, whispering in her ear. "Please, stop, you'll get into trouble..." Holly huffed, eyes locked into Chang's, who stared her in disbelief, like she just slapped him on the face. Tom put a hand on Holly's shoulder with a strong grip.

  
  


"Portier, go sit down, I'll talk with him," Tom spoke through clenched teeth, eyes fixed on Chang's. Holly slapped his hand off, brusquely.

  
  


"Get your hands off me, Riddle!" Holly looked up to Tom, flushed with fury. "If you are not on my side, don't interfere, I did nothing wrong and I can spoke for myself!"

  
  


Tom breathed in deeply, using all his self control to appear calm and not roll his eyes. Finally he looked down at Holly, with an icy glare. "You better not get too many points taken from our House, Portier," Tom let the menace in the air and walked to sit down on the second front row on the opposite side were the witch was with Myrtle. The rest of the Slytherins following behind him, Lucretia included.

  
  


Chang crossed his arms and examined the tiny witch with a serious expression. "You are right, I neglected my Housemate," The prefect glanced at Myrtle. "But you can't talk to me like that or fight inside the classroom," He frowned at her again. "Five points from Slytherin," Holly narrowed her eyes at him and the Ravenclaw girls giggled. "And forty points from Ravenclaw, for treating ill our own Housemate and for starting fights," He stared the group with a stern expression. "You better stop acting like children, you are tainting the Ravenclaw's image... This will stop now!" The girls gaped at Chang and blinked in surprise. Holly and Myrtle included. He turned his back at them and sat down near the boys of his House, on the back row. Holly and Myrtle stared at each other, Holly with a grin and Myrtle with a shy smile.

  
  


"You can call me Holly," she extended her arm to the skittish Ravenclaw, who beamed at her, with glassy eyes.

  
  


"Please, call me Myrtle!" They finally shook hands and sat down on their seats, completely unaware of the glares they were receiving from most of students.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Myrtle was beyond happy. Not even the professors helped her since the first year, and this tiny black-haired witch just defied four bullies and two prefects, running into Myrtle's aid!

  
  


A Slytherin girl who barely knew her and had absolute nothing to gain from her friendship, just lose.

  
  


Myrtle is a ' _mudblood_ ' after all.

  
  


And that's why she thought it would be fair to warn her new friend. "Listen, I'm very thankful for what you did to me now... but you must now I'm a muggleborn... I don't want to cause any trouble for you inside your own House, you know..." Myrtle raised her shoulders, withdrawing herself shyly, showing the insecure body posture so usual to her.

  
  


"My mother and my best friend were muggleborns," Holly smiled sincerely at Myrtle. "If you are one too, it will be an honor for me to be your friend! If my Housemates have a problem with that, I'll be glad to keep a good distance from them."

  
  


Myrtle felt like crying. She was happy and preoccupied at the same time, seeing someone treating her like she was worthy for being cared for. The Ravenclaw didn't considered herself a powerful witch, but if the girl wanted to have her back, she would help her as much as she could.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Myrtle and Holly talked until the Transfiguration professor arrived, ten minutes later. Holly was surprised to see no other than Albus Dumbledore. She was always curious about what he taught at Hogwarts and how would be a lesson given by him inside a classroom.

  
  


"Sorry for being late, I had unexpected visitors," Dumbledore had tense shoulders and looked very tired. His gaze landed on Holly and then on Myrtle, eyeing the Slytherin with suspicion, but he made no comment. Draco always said to her that the Headmaster didn't like Slytherins, maybe he was right.

  
  


Albus Dumbledore explained them about the importance of the O.W.L.s and how much the results will affect the future of the students, so they needed to study very hard from now on.

  
  


"Last year I taught you how to vanish liquids and inanimate objects. This year we'll focus on vanishing creatures. We will start with simple invertebrates and we will upgrade to more complex creatures as the classes goes on. The Vanishing Spells are very difficult and complicated. Of course they are easier than Conjuring Spells, but these are tested only on N.E.W.T.s"

  
  


Holly already knew pretty well how to do Vanishing Spells, she would start the fifth year all over again after all. But she remembered how she and Hermione had some trouble with the spells at first and a lot of her classmates failed miserably, Ron included.

  
  


Dumbledore made a wand movement and a small bowl with worms appeared in front of each student. He explained the theory behind the Vanishing Spell, the incantation and the required wand movements.

  
  


Holly observed Tom Riddle with interest. He succeed on his first attempt and Albus gave him five points. Holly and Hermione were pretty good in transfiguration and they failed the first two times in vanishing snails on their first class with professor McGonagall. She will have to study advanced transfiguration by her own account later, like other important subjects, so she can be a match for Tom Riddle. She can't relax.

  
  


Holly failed on purpose in vanishing a worm, the last thing she wanted was to caught Dumbledore's attention. She tried to look frustrated and when she gave a side-eyed look to see how the other students were doing, she met Lucretia's eyes and Holly knew she didn't convinced her. Lucretia shook her head and rolled her eyes with Holly's lack of acting skills, but she also had a smirk on her face.

  
  


After five minutes, she cast the spell successfully, so she could help Myrtle, who was still struggling, even though she seemed to be making everything right.

  
  


"You need to believe more in yourself," Holly whispered to her. "Magic is all about intent, it's like you don't want to vanish the worm."

Myrtle's face was flushed and she stuttered. "Well... because I actually don't." Holly raised an questioning eyebrow. "I feel like I'm killing it... it's disturbing!"

  
  


_Oh._

  
  


Holly gaped, she never thought so deeply about the Vanishing Spells, and she knew the vanished object, alive or not, just ceased to exist. It was a relief that she never used it on a real living being.

  
  


"I understand... but these aren't real worms, thank Merlin," Holly touched Myrtle's worm with the tip of her wand and it transformed into a Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Bean. She almost laugh with herself, knowing Dumbledore hated that candy. "See? Just think of them as the chocolate frogs, they aren't alive, it's just a spell," Holly transformed the bean back to a worm and saw Myrtle's face redden more. "Of course the spell will work the same with a living being, but these ones are not, as much as they are similar to the real ones, they can't eat, drink, or breed."

  
  


"I can't eat chocolate frogs... they make me feel horrible!" Myrtle said with a grimace, her voice choking on her throat.

  
  


_Oh..._

  
  


Holly knew the witch was sensible, so she kept to herself the fact that she vanished a kitten on the middle of her fifth year. Her conscious would be really heavy now if it was a real kitten and not a transfigured pillow.

  
  


Actually, she felt extremely grateful for that. She would feel more guilty by killing a kitten than for _Crucioing_ Bellatrix.

  
  


Myrtle managed only to make the worm be translucent after ten more minutes, what was better than most students inside the classroom, and that considering they were Ravens and Snakes, the intellectual branch of Hogwarts. Lucretia vanished only half of the worm’s body. Dumbledore was circling around, giving tips to the students.

  
  


Holly wrote everything she heard Dumbledore said. She wasn't good on theory and notes helped when she needed to do homework or essays. Myrtle was exhilarated when spotted her fountain pen and Holly offered to transfigure her quill and ink pot.

  
  


She made Myrtle's fountain pen in a bubblegum pink tone with small flower silhouettes in hot pink. Myrtle beamed at it.

  
  


"That's pretty good," Dumbledore said behind the unusual pair of students, with a smirk on his face. "But you still need to try harder your vanishing skills," He walked forward and tapped on Myrtle's desk, before leaving to sit on his chair.

  
  


_'Fuck!'_

  
  


So Holly got Dumbledore's attention by accident, her fault for being so easily distracted and sloppy.

  
  


When Dumbledore did a roll call, Holly paid attention to the names of her Slytherin classmates. The Prefect Girl was Harley Flint and the other two blondes were Miranda Nott and Emily Carrow. The boys were Aldebaran Lestrange, Ivan Dolohov and Sebastian Rosier. Holly wasn't surprised she already knew some of the surnames. It was actually expected, considering Slytherin was the most traditional House, valuing blood status and consequently had a lot of families adept of inbreeding.

  
  


Dumbledore passes homework for every student who couldn't vanish their worms and dismisses them. The professor remains inside the classroom, scribbling something on his personal notes.

  
  


Holly left the classroom with Myrtle and after she walked a few steps on the corridor, someone grabbed her by the arm and shoved her back on a wall. It was Tom Riddle, his jaw clenched.

  
  


"Never do that again," Tom said, his eyes burned into hers, angrily. Dolohov, Lestrange and Rosier just behind him, like shadows. Myrtle a few steps behind Holly, looking desperate.

  
  


"Do what?" Holly replied, raising her eyebrows, looking up at him impassive.

  
  


"Never opposes me again in front of anybody, especially from other Houses," He leaned down to face her closely, his body dwarfing hers.

  
  


"Holly is a free elf and has no masters," The small witch scoffed. Myrtle looked in panic, now by her side, not knowing what to do.

  
  


When Tom was about to reply, Dumbledore appears behind the boys' group. "Is everything alright here?"

  
  


Holly notices the way Tom winced and how his body suddenly got stiff in Dumbledore's presence. His three thugs froze behind him and Rosier was paler than a ghost.

  
  


"Everything is wonderful, professor," Holly smiled mischievously, not resisting the urge to irritate Tom even more. The Slytherins glanced at her, visibly tense. "Riddle was just praising me for showing House unity by interceding when a muggleborn witch was being bullied by her classmates..." If looks could kill, Holly would be dead now. Tom was glaring knives at her, a vein popping in his forehead. She heard Myrtle holding her own breath.

  
  


"Is that true, Tom?" Holly knew Dumbledore didn't buy a word she just said, but he asked behind Tomwith a calm voice and neutral expression.

  
  


Tom exhaled soundly, his brows pulling together. His polite mask slid on in his face when he turned to face the professor. "Oh yes, sir... I was just telling her how I admire her courage to stand up for someone from another House that she barely know," Holly was truly impressed by how tranquility his voice sound like. She knew he probably wanted to strangle her with his bare hands. "Did you know, sir, that the Sorting Hat almost put her on Gryffindor?" Tom glanced at Holly with a smile that didn't reach his eyes before turning again to look Dumbledore. "I think you would be proud to have her there, considering you are the Head of the House..."

  
  


_Oh_. So maybe Draco's complaints about the Headmaster favoring Gryffindor indeed were true.

  
  


Dumbledore's eyes twinkled, facing the new student with a renewed interest. He had a cheerful smile on his face. "I see..." The professor put a hand on Holly's shoulder. "10 points to Slytherin, then. House unity is very important and it's wise to make acquaintances and befriend people from other Houses," He stared the Ravenclaw witch, "after dinner, meet me in my office, I want to know details about your housemates bullying you, and I'll talk to the Head of your House too." He nodded to the group before leaving.

  
  


They waited Dumbledore disappear on a corner. Tom was about to speak but Holly cut him off. " I'm not afraid of you, Riddle, or your thugs," She pointed at them with a flick of her chin. "Now take your leave and be grateful that I didn't rat you to Dumbledore," His eye twitched in anger. "Next time I won't be so nice to you!"

  
  


Tom breathed deeply and stepped towards her, invading her personal space, his nose just an inch away from her face. She didn't flinch, staring him defiantly. "Careful... an enemy inside your House it's worse than a hundred outside," He sneered at her. "You are lucky I don't like to hurt little girls, but it's better not tempt me..."

  
  


Holly snorted. "I'm not scared of a boy with delusions of grandeur," She eyed him up and down and then glanced the thugs behind him. "But I can see you fear me too much, needing all this backup," She pushed him a little and gave a step forward. He let her, offering no resistance. "Drawn your wand against me and I will polish the floor with your face." That comment made the boys snort and an amused smirk showing up on Tom's face.

  
  


"She is a little lioness, Tom, better watch your back," Dolohov warned Tom in mockery. Then his eyes roamed down Holly with a hungry lust, like she was a piece of meat. "She is very bold if she thinks she can take the four of us all by herself," The malicious and flirty tone of his voice made Holly wants to puke. Tom turned his face back to Dolohov and sneered at his comment, clearly disgusted. Lestrange shook his head in disapproval but Rosier muffled a chuckle.

  
  


"D-don't speak to my friend like that, you pervert!" Myrtle said with a shaken voice, putting herself beside Holly, pointing her wand at Dolohov with a trembling hand. Dolohov cackled and gave a step forward Myrtle.

  
  


"Look, she is dangerous indeed... she has the support of a _mudblood_ ," Dolohov spat in disgust. He was a little taller than Tom, more bulkier and more intimidating, but Holly had a feeling he was stupid, like Crabbe and Goyle.

  
  


She acted before her brain could process, pointing her wand at Dolohov and casting a non-verbal L _anglock_. Lestrange and Rosier took their wands out but Tom didn't, just crossing his arms, like she wasn't a threat. Holly was pretty sure that Tom's gesture discouraged the boys from hexing her and Myrtle.

  
  


"Don't talk to her like that!" Holly said to Dolohov with furrowed brows. He was about to reply her, but he couldn't open his mouth, his tongue stuck on his palate, the effect of the hex Snape taught her. She opened a smirk to him. "What? Cat got your tongue?"

  
  


Tom chuckled. He was staring at Dolohov with crossed arms and a disapproving look. "She got you, Ivan... I already told you to not pick fights if you are useless and weak," Dolohov stared down at the floor, feeling hurt. Tom glanced coldly at the wands of the other two Slytherins, it was enough to make them withdrawn.

  
  


With a snap of his fingers, Myrtle's wand flew to his hands. Tom made another gesture and Holly was pushed against the wall, totally taken by surprise. His raw magic surrounded her body like a chain, immobilizing her. She tried to struggle in vain, he was too strong... she wasn't aware that the young Tom Riddle was able to use wandless magic with so much control.

  
  


Tom made another gesture and Holly's shirt buttoned up by itself. She felt her tie tighten up menacingly around her neck and she closed her eyes, for a moment accepting the fate that he was going to strangulate her to death on the spot.

  
  


But he was just straightening up her clothes in a power display while studying her reactions. He waited until she opened her eyes and moved forward, eyes locked on hers with a serene expression. He tucked a dark lock behind Holly's ear with his hand and leaned down to whisper, his lips almost touching her skin. "I don't need backup to put you on your place, Portier" Holly felt her skin prickle and groaned with gritted teeth, trying to get away from his hold. Tom didn't move from his place. "Don't disrespect me, next time I won't be so gentle," He gave a step back and stood there to observe her, like she was a fly trapped on a web, fighting in vain to regain her freedom. He was the spider, of course and seemed to take pleasure watching her struggle. His obsidian eyes lingering on her lips with so much intensity, it was like he was entranced by her. He looked up to her emerald eyes again and smirked before leaving. The three Slytherins following behind him, the only one who hesitated a little was Dolohov, still L _anglocked_.

  
  


Holly exhaled almost in relief when the pressure of his magic released her body. Her heart racing in her chest. Myrtle who had frozen in fear, now was rubbing small circles on her back, trying to tranquilize her.

  
  


Holly felt really, really tired, her muscles aching by the effort she made to escape Tom's grip, goosebumps all through her body.

  
  


Now she was frightened. For real.

  
  


She didn't expected his magic to be so strong at such young age. It was arrogant of her part to underestimate Tom Riddle just because he had almost the same age as her. It was reckless of her to undervalue the potential of the person who can turn into Lord Voldemort.

  
  


Her mission wouldn't be as easy as she predicted before. She still can get rid of the basilisk before him, but what about after?

  
  


Holly wanted to scream in frustration.

  
  


"Shall I talk to Dumbledore about what just happened?" Myrtle asked shyly. Holly thought a moment and answered when her breath was steady.

  
  


"I think is better not, for now... We can get a detention for lying to him and fighting on the corridors," Myrtle nodded resignedly. "Unless you think otherwise, of course...you must do what your heart wants."

  
  


"I think you are right... but I didn't know Riddle was so dangerous! He is usually so quiet and introspective, I'm baffled!" She took Holly's hand in hers. "Are you gonna be okay inside your House? Do you think they will try to harass you?"

  
  


"Don't worry, I will be fine" Holly showed Myrtle a reassuring smile, even though she wasn't as confident as in the beginning of the day. "Let's go to the library? I have a lot of things to study from now on."

  
  


"Sure!" The Ravenclaw took Holly's hand to show her the way.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Tom was fumming, walking towards the Slytherin Common Room in heavy footsteps. His male classmates trailing behind him like scared trained dogs, just waiting for being scolded by their master.

  
  


"I know you are stupid, but sometimes you surpass my expectations," Tom finally broke the silence, speaking out loud without turning back to face them. "Were you really going to hex two girls just after Dumbledore spoke with us? Are you out of your mind?" He finally turned back to face them, gritting his teeth. "You all know Dumbledore is always on my heels, and even if it wasn't my fault, he would blame me! You fucking morons!” He pointed his index finger to them. “Don't ever think I would take the heat for you!" He exhaled soundly. "You don't need to follow me wherever I go, I'm not your fucking mom!" He threw up his arms in an outburst.

  
  


The three Slytherins traded preoccupied glances between themselves while Tom turned his back again to them, saying the password for the Common Room. They were really nervous with Tom being infuriated, especially because they were well aware of things Tom Riddle was capable of since their first year. Just with eleven years he was able to terrify the seventh year students and now he was older, stronger, smarter and shared a room with them.

  
  


But even being considered a menace, Tom Riddle was usually quiet, introspective and observant. He was clearly the strong predator at the top of food chain who didn't give a damn for lesser creatures. But he also was typically a gentleman towards the ladies and constantly ignored their subtle barbs. Some of the Slytherin girls liked to test limits or get under people’s skin. Walburga Black did that constantly, and the boys had a feeling the Slytherin Girls knew something was off about Tom Riddle. The male students too proud or too afraid to let escape the fact that a penniless _mudblood_ strike terror into their hearts.

  
  


So, his behavior towards the new girl was completely unexpected. He seemed really agitated the night before, after he met her, and today he almost acted like an unleashed beast. The last thing they want is to deal with an unpredictable and furious Tom Riddle.

  
  


They were inside the Common Room, just a few students there. Lestrange reunited all his courage and cleared his throat to get the Tom’s attention. "Ahn...Riddle? Are you interest in the new girl?" He spoke in a low voice, almost a murmur;

  
  


"And why the fuck would I be interested in her?" Tom snapped back at him with gritted teeth, making Lestrange wince.

  
  


"I don't know," His mouth was dry and he felt his voice falter a little. "But If you are interested in her, I think the best approach is not by force..." Tom's right eye twitched in anger, but he said nothing, his gaze unwavering. Lestrange interpreted this as a sign to go on. He gulped, continuing his chain of thought. "It's clear she affects you somehow, I've never saw you meddling with anyone who was scolded by other prefect before or you losing your composure in front of a lady... even when they spit something malicious about you on their subtle ways, you always just ignored them..."

  
  


"Yeah, this girl got totally under your skin," Rosier said to support Lestrange. "If you are attracted by her, maybe we can help— "

  
  


Tom huffed. "I'm not," He inhaled deeply, stretched and put his mask on, his face was emotionless. "And even if I did, it's none of your business," He frowned at them and walked in the direction of the Dormitories, leaving the three alone.

  
  


Dolohov made a guttural sound and pointed to his mouth, trying to open it, showing his tongue glued on his palate. Rosier rolled his eyes.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Holly stayed with Myrtle in the library until near dinner. She took some books of advanced transfiguration, charms and defense arts. Holly enchanted two pieces of parchment and gave one to Myrtle. They were charmed in a similar way as the fake Galleons she used on their secret group on fifth year, the D.A. If Myrtle wanted to talk to her about anything, she just needed to tap it with her wand to send the message she wrote on it. Only the two witches were capable to read the real content on the paper. If any other person looked at it, it would appear a message that the person in question would like to read, she took inspiration on The Mirror of Erised. Myrtle was admired by Holly's skills and her praising made the tiny witch blush. Holly also put an Anti-theft Charm on Myrtle's fountain pen. She remembered when Luna was bullied and her Housemates stole and hidden her things.

  
  


They agreed to avoid visible interactions during the meals on the Great Hall, at least for now. They couldn't eat together, neither of them would be welcomed on other House's table. Holly also made herself clear that Myrtle could talk about anything using the parchment and she will answer as soon as possible, if she is occupied.

  
  


At dinner, Holly sat on the far away corner from the oldest students as she could. Her mood was still sour from her confront with Tom Riddle and how pathetic and powerless she felt, just as all the times she faced Voldemort and only escaped him by luck. She needed to be stronger.

  
  


Her 'peace' ended quickly. Dolohov sat across from her with a scowl. Lestrange and Rosier sat on the same side as him. She felt someone sat by her side and she didn't need to turn her head to know who was. It was Tom Riddle, obviously. She breathed deeply and focused on her dinner, trying to ignore them.

  
  


"Hello, Portier," she heard Tom's soft tone. "You hexed Ivan but I couldn't lift it from him," He had a smile on his voice and she knew he wanted to appear amicable. "I know you may think he is better that way, but I am bothered to see his ugly face so grumpy all the time, can you release him?"

  
  


Holly just lift her wand and used the counter-spell non-verbally. Dolohov opened and closed his jaw and muttered to Holly a 'thank you'. Holly was sure Tom forced him to do so, but she didn't have any idea why. Then, she heard Tom's voice a little closer to her.

  
  


"You know, this spell of yours is very interesting... I wonder if you can teach me," And that's the motive to make his hound dogs behave so well. Holly could feel he had a charming smirk plastered in his face.

  
  


Tom Riddle was extending the olive branch and it could be a good opportunity for Holly. But at the same time she didn't want to share knowledge with a wizard already too powerful for his own good, particularly with a spell created by Snape that wasn't supposed to exist yet. Besides, her pride was speaking louder and the last thing she wanted to do now was pretend that nothing happened between them.

  
  


"That I cannot do," She turned to face him with a forced smile. "Unless, of course, you will try to pin me against a wall once more and force me to teach you," She tilted her head a little, batting her eyelashes at him, mockingly. "Do I have an option, Mr. Prefect?"

  
  


Tom bit his lower lip and then chuckled. "Well, since you asked so nicely, of course you do," He stood up from his seat still looking at her. "If you change your mind, you know were to find me," He winked at her before leaving. His minions following behind. Holly huffed a breath and rolled her eyes, when her gaze landed at the table, she saw two Slytherin girls from the first year gawking at her. They probably saw Tom flirting with her.

  
  


"Don't look at me like that, he has a pretty face but he is an asshole," Holly turn her attentions again to her dinner, snorting when the girls gasped by her vocabulary choice.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to invent some names and I am not good at it. lol
> 
> The surnames you will see from now on are from pureblood families, Death Eaters and other characters.
> 
> Some of them will be the parents or grandparents of "canon characters", but consider that we have lots of "cousins" and other relatives, so Harley Flint, for example, won't be Marcus Flint Grandmother, she will be much likely a great-aunt.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the chapter and stay safe and healthy. :3


	9. Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is long, dark, and with few Slytherin additions. I hope you enjoy!
> 
> If you spot any errors, please inform me. I'm still learning english, it's not my mother language.

Thursday, September 3, 1942

  
  


Holly finishes her breakfast and goes with Myrtle towards the North Tower, to their Divination Class. "And how it was last night? Did your housemates left you alone?" Holly asks to her new Ravenclaw friend, concerned by her well-being.

  
  


"Yes, they totally ignored me, and that's a hundred times better!" Myrtle says with a joyful smile on her face, "Professor Dumbledore and professor Binns spoke with them."

  
  


"Professor Binns?"

  
  


"Yes, he is the Head of Ravenclaw."

  
  


"Oh..." Now it made more sense that Myrtle being bullied for years got unnoticed by the Head of Ravenclaw. The History professor didn’t seem to care if he was giving lectures to students or to the walls. He was a poor choice ad Head of House, in her opinion.

  
  


"Well, now they got a month detention with professor Binns and he scolded them for about an hour!" Myrtle said and Holly snorted.

  
  


"I can't hear him talk for 5 minutes without drowsing... If he talked to me directly for one straight hour and I had to keep my eyes opened all the time it would be torture!" Both witches laughed.

  
  


"Well, they deserve that after tormenting me for all these years!" Myrtle made a small pout and then took Holly's hands in hers, giving a shy smile. "I can't thank you enough... You saved my life in a way..."

  
  


_Well, not yet_. Holly thought about the Chamber and the basilisk inside it, but she tried to reciprocate a smile to the Ravenclaw.

  
  


  
  


"And what about you, Holly?" Myrtle asked in concern.

  
  


"Me? what about me?"

  
  


"You know... Riddle and the other Slytherins! Did they treat you bad after what happened?"

  
  


"Oh, no," Holly told Myrtle their strange behavior after dinner and her impression that Tom Riddle didn't want to declare ‘war’. Holly's roommates acted almost like her first night, Lucretia the only one to acknowledge her presence.

  
  


"Well, I guess is better that way for now, but you must keep your eyes open," Myrtle said with a frown. "There's a possibility they are acting friendly to avoid attention while planning their revenge. You know how Slytherins work," The Ravenclaw witch had an expression of full confidence in what she was saying, and then her gaze fell towards Holly's tie and Myrtle blushed. "Sorry."

  
  


Holly looked down to her tie, just now reminding herself she was also a Slytherin, so used to wear the red and gold of Gryffindor, and snorted. "No problem, I can't agree more with you," Myrtle just raised an eyebrow to her, a little confused, but asked no further questions. Like Tom Riddle, she normally couldn't see Slytherin's traits on Holly. Well, unless she was pissed, her tongue was very sharp then.

"So, what's your favorite Divination method?" Myrtle asked, expectantly. The way her eyes lit reminded Holly of Lavender and Parvati, who loved the classes of professor Trelawney.

  
  


"Actually, I hate Divination" Holly sighed and Myrtle looked puzzled for a moment. "I just took the class to see how it goes, but I already regret it." It was a half-truth, she was in the class only to keep an eye on Tom, but very wary about it.

  
  


"Do you have any especial motive to hate it?" Myrtle asked, seeming a little disappointed.

  
  


"Well... I had a professor who always predicted the horrible ways I would die and how bad things would happened to me." And truth to be told, Trelawney wasn't so wrong after all.

  
  


"You too?" Myrtle gasped. " Professor Vablatsky said on my first day that I would die at young age if I crossed the stare of a beast bred by a dark wizard... I was so afraid that I quit Care of Magical Creatures."

  
  


_That was precise_. Holly gulped in fear, but Myrtle opened a reassurance smile at her. "Professor Vablatsky is so sweet... she usually don't make predictions about her students and when she does, she talks to them in private... she is also a very good professor, even though she tends to lost her chain of thought sometimes... you'll see... she is very, very old."

  
  


Holly let out a sigh of relief. " And you? Do you have a favorite Divination method, Myrtle?"

  
  


"Oh yes!" She giggled. "I like Tarot cards and Palmistry. I also like astrology but it seems imprecise sometimes."

  
  


"I had some Divination classes with a centaur," Holly said to Myrtle, who widened her eyes and gaped. "He was the best! And I kinda agree with him when he said individual human events were insignificant to the stars and planets. Astrology makes no sense to me!" She huffed, recalling Lavender and Parvati always saying 'truths' about her zodiac sign, annoying Holly completely.

  
  


"A centaur? In what school you had such experiences?"

  
  


Holly blushed a little." One of that shady ones in this times of war, with some dark wizards and witches," She didn't feel well lying or saying half-truths to Myrtle, but it was necessary. "The centaur was alone, without his herd he hadn't many options besides teaching us, like some of my other professors," Holly's voice faltered a little. Firenze was a good centaur and she let in the air that maybe some professors were forced to teach the students. "Sorry, I don't want to talk about this now."

  
  


"It's fine, I totally understand," Myrtle patted Holly's back, trying to comfort her.

  
  


The other students arrived and waited until the classroom was opened.

  
  


All Slytherin and Ravenclaw girls from the fifth year were present. From the boys, only Tom Riddle and Lestrange. In Ravenclaw she saw two taller boys, one with long platinum hair and a dreamy gaze that was strangely familiar to her, and the other boy had copper red hair and freckled skin. She noticed the latter trading side-eyed glances with Lucretia.

  
  


The classroom door was opened and they entered. Unfortunately Myrtle chose a desk on the front row and Holly had to follow. It was usual to have pairs of students in Divination, at least on her time, and she would stick with her friend, of course.

  
  


The professor was on the middle of the classroom, holding a staff much more higher than her. Professor Vablatsky probably used it as in the old ways, instead of a wand and also to support herself. She was extremely old, probably as much as Headmaster Dippet. She had eccentric robes and seemed to be blind, both her eyes had a foggy milky-blue tone. She seemed lost in thought and had a crow pooled on her shoulder.

  
  


After all the students took a seat, the door of the classroom suddenly closed with a bang. The old woman empty gaze roaming over the students, her crow seemed to make clicking sounds near her ear, like whispering her secrets. Her foggy eyes bore into Holly's, the old witch frowned. She gave a step towards the desk shared by the pair of Ravenclaw and Slytherin witches.

  
  


_Here we go_. Holly let out a breath, nervous.

  
  


"You are not from here, are you, Holly _Portier_?" The old witch said the last name in a mockery tone, a secretive smirk tugging on the corners of her mouth. Holly felt her breath falter for a moment, the professor came closer and her milky eyes widened, scanning Holly's frame. It was like she could see things that common people doesn't. That made Holly extremely nervous. " I've never met a Portier before, never thought I would... the Obscure House of the Unsung Heroes..." Holly gulped, she could hear some students whispering behind her back.

  
  


"And you are quite interest, poor child..." She took Holly's chin between her clawed fingers. "It's the first time I see someone at such young age who avoided Death so many times, it seems you and Death are always flirting with each other, am I right?" The hag let out a sinister cackle. "But she never made you cross her gates... do you know why?"

  
  


Holly only shook her head in the most imperceptible way, her body stiffened, like she was frozen in terror. Of course she regretted her gesture almost immediately. Her curiosity would be her doom someday.

  
  


"You received as a family heirloom, the protection of Death herself, she gave her own Cloak to an ancestor of yours. He was humble and when he died, very, very old, he greeted Death as an old friend. Her cloak was passed to his oldest son and that cycle repeated itself for generations. Death was very fond of each one of them, who treasure her gift with all heart… until your father. He lend the Cloak away and that's why he was the first one to broke the cycle and died at such young age! Your father was foolish to put his trust on the wrong person," She squeezed Holly's cheeks. "And with his death, the rightful ownership of the Cloak was passed to you…" Holly felt a nail brushing her fringe away, exposing the scar on her forehead. "That's one of the motives why you survived the Killing Curse as a baby," Myrtle gasped in front o f Holly, hiding her mouth with a hand. She heard other gasps from behind and then the classroom fell in death silence.

  
  


"Another motive... Well, Death was infuriated with the owner of her Stone. He split his soul in pieces to avoid her touch, but also tried to kill the only owner of the Hallow that offered the blessing of Death’s protection and she considered it the worst of the insults... he never succeed on killing you, right? But Death always took other soul in your place to placate her anger... she also branded you each time she let you live after your encounters with _him_ ..." The witch's nail touched the lightning bolt scar on Holly's forehead. "First, she took your mother," Then, professor Vablatsky touched the one on her right wrist, a burning scar. " _His_ servant," She put her finger on the punctured scar made by the basilisk fang. " _His_ familiar," The slice made by Wormtail's ritual dagger on her left arm. "Your beloved," Finally, the old witch pointed to Holly's chest, with a sad expression. "And the last mark Death gave you was the deepest one, yet is the only one invisible to common eyes... when Death took your _Grim,_ she took a piece of your heart as well, didn't she?" More gasps of horror and shock. Holly knew how witches and wizards were afraid of the Grim's omen, Sirius' Animagus form.

  
  


Holly felt her throat tighten and the burn of tears behind her eyes. She wanted to scream to the professor to shut up but she was paralyzed. It wasn't by fear, as she first thought, but an invisible mist enfolding Holly's body and somehow she knew it was the old woman's magic. She felt exposed and ashamed, the dark secrets of her past spat out in front of everyone in the classroom. In front of Tom Riddle. Holly gritted her teeth, trying to escape from the hold of the witch's magic. Her struggle was in vain, just like when Tom did the same thing to her.

  
  


The old witch locked her foggy eyes with Holly's and it was like she could see through her soul. "I can see your body experienced all Unforgivables at least once. You know how nasty they can be, right?" The old witch came closer and for the first time she whispered on Holly's ear. "But you aren't innocent, are you? I know what you did with the witch that took your godfather's life away..." Holly could only let out a groan, but she wanted to scream 'she deserved it!'.

  
  


The old witch cupped her hands on Holly's cheeks, now like a sweet and gentle grandma, her voice almost a breath. "But none of this actually happened yet, only for you," Holly felt the air of her lungs escape, maybe in relief. " _His_ first murder was more of an accident, a prank he made when he felt angry and gone absolutely wrong. After that, the only option he saw to preserve himself was to fully embrace his darkness, that guided his path towards absolute madness..." It was very clear that the witch was talking about Tom Riddle, but she averted speak his name for motives Holly probably would never know.

  
  


"Dear girl, I can see a lot of things, but the future is uncertain and no destiny is true settled... I can see the consequences of different paths or choices but I can't guarantee any of them to happen for sure, they are just probabilities... I can't condemn a people for sins that not yet happened, as awful as they can be... And you would be surprised how many despicable sins I can see ahead of almost everyone's path… and lots of them never happens."

  
  


"I strongly recommend that you don't choose the 'easiest' way to get rid of _him_... Even though you are capable to hurt badly a person who crosses your path, your hands aren't made for killing. Just like the holly on your wand, you are meant to protect and heal... if you kill a Dark Wizard or Witch, other one will raise in power. If you take _his_ life away, a stronger monster may emerge on his place... I don’t think he will ever be a saint, but _h_ _is_ soul is not full tainted yet, he is still whole... You two may find balance on each other, as rivals or as allies… You’ll learn that a little evil is needed to keep our world stable, after all. "Holly let out a ragged breath and felt the warmth of tears on her cheeks. "Deep down he is very angered with all the things that happened to him and all the injustices he faced... he lost his faith on people at a very young age and feel misunderstood by everybody... Try to show him the goodness you have... It will be good for him to know how hope and happiness feels like... he is too young to be so bitter... I have a feeling you two can understand each other very well."

  
  


"See you next class." The Divination professor says out loud and Holly feel the pressure of the witch's magic leave her body. She turned her head to glare at the old woman, feeling undignified. She just gave a fond smile back to the Slytherin.

  
  


Holly didn't asked for permission to leave and didn't even spoke with Myrtle, she quickly took her satchel and darted out the classroom, sobbing and hiccuping while descending the stairs. She gone straight to the female bathroom on the second-floor.

  
  


She truly hates Divination.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Holly mimics the ghost of Moaning Myrtle and cry out all her heart's content inside the female bathroom on the second-floor. Lucky her the place was empty.

  
  


She felt outraged, the Divination professor exposed her in front of everybody, details of her old life that she pretended to share with nobody. One of the 'pros' of her Time Travel experience was the fact that she wasn't recognized as 'the girl who lived' by the scar on her forehead. Here she wasn’t the one who defeated Voldemort, she was just a common and meaningless person.

  
  


Now there was a possibility that her classmates would believe in all that was told. She doesn’t know if this Divination teacher has a good reputation or if she is a joke like Trelawney. Holly had the bad feeling that she was taken seriously and even though Holly didn’t understand a lot of things the professor said, it was in a way extremely accurate. She indeed had an Invisibility Cloak that belonged to her father and she knew Dumbledore had it. He was the one who gave it back to her on her first Christmas at Hogwarts.

  
  


It was too much information that she needed to mull over. The old witch apparently knew what she did to Bellatrix Lestrange and the thought that crossed her mind about killing Tom. She didn’t fed the idea, but a dark part of her mind considered it as one of the paths she could choose.

  
  


The professor also brought old and painful memories to the surface of her mind, like the lifeless face of Cedric on the cemetery. When just five minutes before he was smiling happily at her that they both would be the champions of the Triwizard Tournament.

  
  


Holly was so happy with the possibility to carve a new bright future to her and her loved ones, that she didn't let herself grief anymore about the recent events of Sirius' death, as much as she misses him. The rational part of her brain knows that Sirius, her parents and other people she left behind, aren't born yet, but to her, it was just few days ago that she saw her godfather dying in front of her. And it was all her fault.

  
  


She has a chance to fix everything, but only yesterday she discovered that Tom was already too powerful for a teenager, and had high control of wandless magic. And of course he was also a prick. It was a grave mistake to underestimate him.

  
  


Now, alone in the bathroom was the first time she truly had everything sink in. Her mission wouldn't be so easy and for the first time she was doubting herself about making the right choice or not, leaving everything behind coming to the past.

  
  


That was it. Holly had the terrible feeling that she wasn't supposed to ever feel comfortable or happy in her life. She has to be stronger and smarter, she has to fight. She has to save the people she loves.

  
  


Holly is tired of all of it. She wants to be common, to graduate, to have a normal job and maybe one day marry and have a happy family.

  
  


But she has mission. She made a choice that forbade her to ever be normal again. The ‘girl who lived’ is now a Time Traveler and if she knows she will be punished by Time if she tries to abandon her mission.

  
  


Of course her own consciousness alone will ever permit her to give up.

  
  


Now Holly has Myrtle, yet she misses Hermione so much and is really melancholic by the fact their friendship is lost forever, even if she survives the decades to meet her again... To meet Sirius, Remus and her parents, even if she manages to be a Hogwarts professor, she will need to wait until 1971. She would need to live much more than her own actual lifetime. It was painful to think like that, especially now that apparently she didn't have 'Death's protection', the Invisibility Cloak now probably on the possession of her blood grandfather. It was difficult to survive 16 years until now, what about more 29? She would be much older than Sirius was the first time they met.

  
  


Her brain entered in a cycle of self-deprecation and self-doubt. Now Holly was even questioning her capability to kill the basilisk by herself, when the only thing she needed was to transfigure something into a rooster, it's crowing being fatal to the monster.

  
  


She knew how to defeat the basilisk and she had the _Felix Felicis_ to help her to open the Chamber of Secrets without being noticed, but after saving Myrtle, the only thing she knew about was the name of Tom Riddle’s father, that Voldemort claimed to have killed by himself. How she would be able to follow Tom around after graduating Hogwarts and avoid him to turn into a dark Lord?

  
  


She put a silencing charm on the cabin she was, to scream and cry as loud as she could, each sob of her was like she was spiting out small pieces of her heart. She felt more alone in the world than when the Dursley's let her starve, locked inside that fucking cupboard when she was only a small and defenseless child.

  
  


Letting out her frustration inside the bathroom actually made Holly feel much better, after a long time. She was lucky in a way that she had double divination and she was much more calmer around 15 minutes before her next class, Charms. She left her cabin and walked to the sinks. She stood up in front of the one that didn't worked and caressed the snake pattern. She would face the first part of her mission this weekend, most likely Saturday or Sunday at night.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Holly entered the Charms Class with the Hufflepuffs and sat on the last row of desks, avoiding to face anybody from her House. She felt Lucretia's gaze over her but ignored it. She knew her face was puffy and red. If the Slytherins gossiped about what happened, she didn't pay attention. When the professor dismissed the class, she was the first to leave and entered in the first secret passageway she knew of.

  
  


Holly had her lunch on the kitchens, with the company of the House-elves. Cedric was the one to teach her the way to enter the place, tickling the pear on the painting outside the room. The House-elves liked to receive visitors and gave all attention to her, as usual. It was good to be near their warmth and kindness.

  
  


After lunch, Holly met Myrtle outside the Runes Classroom. The Ravenclaw seemed concerned and Holly just flashed her a smile, like she was better now, but they didn't exchange words and her friend respected her silence, for that Holly felt truly grateful.

  
  


Myrtle sat on the first row, on Holly's left side. For their surprise, Tom took the seat by her right side. She didn't look at his direction and waited for him to say something nasty, but he remained quiet.

  
  


Myrtle was very tactful towards Holly and took her charmed piece of parchment. She probably was careful that Holly was still sad and if she talk, she could cry again. Myrtle was always crying, so she probably was very familiar with it. Holly smirked at her and took her own charmed parchment as well.

  
  


_**"How are you feeling?"**_ Myrtle's handwriting was very feminine and curly. Her letter was much more beautiful than Holly's scratches.

  
  


_**"I cried a lot on the bathroom and now I feel better."**_ Holly wrote and tapped her wand on the surface of the paper to send the message.

  
  


_**"Do you want to talk about what happened or you want me to talk about other things to distract you? Or do you want to be left alone?"** _

  
  


Holly breathed out a chuckle. Myrtle was so sweet and caring... _**"I don't want to talk about what happened to me, at least not today... But we can talk about other things... like what else happened after I left?"**_

  
  


And then Myrtle explained about what the Divination professor said about the O.W.L.s and the subjects of the period. She said that the professor talked with them about soulmates, soul bonds, destiny and passed homework about that, she wanted the definitions, methods and signs to spot them, etc. Myrtle didn't told about any gossip or whisper about her name and she felt better with that.

They talked using the parchments throughout the classroom, careful to pay attention on important matters, like the O.W.L.s usual explanation and of course to not be caught.

  
  


Holly noticed Tom eyeing at her direction from time to time and he shifted a lot on his seat, like he was anxious. Near the end of the classroom, her curiosity was stronger than her and she looked at him, their gazes crossed. Tom's cheeks, necks and ears had a pinkish tone and he stared her with a sheepish expression. His eyes flicked to her charmed parchment and she had the feeling he was snooping her conversation with Myrtle. Of course he couldn't read the truly contents, the piece of parchment was charmed in inspiration of the Mirror of Erised. Holly was truly curious about what Tom saw. She gave him a smug smirk. "Are you okay, Riddle? Your face is red. Do you have a fever or something?"

  
  


Tom blinked while Holly scribbled to Myrtle ' _ **I think Riddle was reading what I wrote to you. I wonder what he saw, he is flushed!'**_

Tom's eyes discretely glanced at Holly's parchment. He cleared his throat before he answered her, his voice was low and hoarse. _And_ _incredibly_ _sexy_ , a part of Holly's mind screamed to her."Are you serious about what you just wrote?" He tried to sound casual, but his neck was really red. Myrtle snorted and that caught his attention, his eyes darted briefly to her and then back to Holly.

  
  


_**'Holly, I think he has a crush on you!'** _ What Myrtle wrote made Holly widen her eyes and now she was the one with a flush. "And what I wrote?" She raised a questioning eyebrow to Tom, who blinked at her again, confused, just before he seemed to be hit by a sudden realization.

  
  


"It's charmed, isn't it? To protect the true content from prying eyes?" For a second he made an expression that reminded Holly a child when was caught doing something wrong.

  
  


"Precisely," Holly couldn't suppress the mischievous smirk forming in her lips. "What did you saw, Riddle, that made you so flushed?"

  
  


Tom looked nervous for a moment, his eyes widening a little. And then he managed to hide it, a smirk formed on his lips, his eyes lit with a strange gleam. "I can't say straight to your face, it was extremely dirty,"

  
  


Myrtle gasped. Soon Holly received other message. ' _**Oh my God! He is totally into you!'** _

  
  


_**'Shut up!** _ _**Of course h**_ _ **e is just teasing!'** _ Holly wrote nervously and Tom observed everything with a calculating expression, like he was studying their reactions. "What is it supposed to show?" He asked with a silken voice, making the hair on her arm stand up.

  
  


"It's supposed to show what the person wants to read... stop being ridiculous, I know you didn't read such a thing!" Tom tried to stare at Holly with a serious expression, but he was failing to suppress a smirk. Holly was sure he was having fun at her expenses. She was extremely embarrassed now.

  
  


Tom just hummed in response to her, showing fake disinterest. Holly wanted to punch him. "That's not funny, Riddle, what did you read?" Her voice was pleading, she eyed to see if the professor was observing them, but she was distracted, scratching things on the blackboard.

  
  


Tom made a gesture to Holly come closer, so he could talk with more secrecy. She leaned closer to him and he did the same, his lips almost brushing her ear. He whispered slowly, his breath hot on her skin, sending shivers all through her body. "It would be very impolite to voice it out in front of a lady."

  
  


Holly gasped and stared him in disbelief, he had a wolfish grin on his handsome face. "You are ridiculous, Riddle!" He only breathed out a chuckle.

  
  


* * *

  
  


After dinner, inside the Slytherin Common Room, Holly was quiet studying in one of the tables more isolated, near the glass windows that showed the waters of the lake. It felt relaxing and from time to time she could see schools of fish and some distant mermaids.

  
  


She was distracted, reading about advanced human transfiguration when someone sat by her side, two more people sitting across from her as well.

  
  


"Hello, little unsung hero." Lestrange said, by her right side. When Holly looked up to see the ones in front of her, it was Dolohov and Rosier, both snickering.

  
  


Holly tries to ignore them. She searches quickly around the Common Room but only sees students from the sixth and seventh years, some of them are observing they with interest, smirking maliciously. She doesn't spot Tom or Lucretia.

  
  


"Are you looking for Riddle? Don't worry, it's just us for now," Dolohov says with a wink and Holly feel nauseated by the way he always seems to says things with double meaning. Her only answer was narrow her eyes for him. Unfortunately, she had both hands touching the book in front of her. If they try to hex her, she won't be quickly enough to draw her wand. She feels her heart racing, but tries to appear calm.

  
  


"So, Divination was really interesting today," Lestrange drawls. "Is it true that you survived a killing curse?"

  
  


Holly flips a page on her book, trying to look unfazed by their presence and doesn't bother to look at him. She thought about giving him a sharp remark, but the day was too long and she was tired. She let out a breath. "Yes, it's true."

  
  


"I can't believe that!" Rosier said. It didn't surprised her. She knew they wanted to annoy her, no matter the answer she gave them.

  
  


"Okay, you got me, nobody ever cast an Unforgivable on me," She turned her face up to him. "Satisfied? You can leave now," Holly smile mockingly at him and turned her attention again to her book.

  
  


The boys kept quiet for a moment, exchanging glances between themselves. Lestrange was the one to break the silence.

  
  


"Can we see your scars?" He asked in a strange amicably tone, like he was sincerely curious to see them up close, but before Holly could answer, Dolohov interjected.

  
  


"Yes! I particularly want to see the one in your heart. Can you open your shirt and show us? " Holly's head snapped up to him with a horrified expression while Lestrange by her side put a hand on his own forehead and let out a huff.

  
  


"Merlin's balls, Ivan, you can’t behave in front of a lady..."

  
  


"You just talked about balls in front of her, who can’t behave?" Dolohov replied, making Rosier snort. Lestrange rolled his eyes.

  
  


Holly stood up and started to organize her things. She was in an isolated corner of the Common room, surrounded by boys talking about balls and asking her to open her shirt. That couldn't end well. She felt her face hot with shame and anger.

  
  


"Hey, were are you going, sweetheart? We aren't finished yet," Dolohov stood up in front of her, blocking her path. Holly was holding the handle of her wand but she also noticed they were too.

  
  


"You are behaving improperly, I ask you to leave me alone!" She lift up her chin to Dolohov, while frowning at him. Her heart was hammering inside her chest. Dolohov was just slightly taller than Tom, but somehow his proximity was more threatening than his. Her body was screaming danger and she felt like a cornered animal. She only spotted 2 or 3 girls inside the room and Holly doubted they would back up her if the boys tried some 'funny business'. She never experienced a situation like this, even among 'Dudley' and his friends. If she cried for help, any of the other boys would help her or make the situation even worse? She was too close to them to be able to count with her magic abilities to escape this situation.

  
  


"What is happening here?" Knott, the 'Slytherin King' suddenly appeared. Holly almost let out a sigh of relief, but then she noticed he had a wicked grin in his face. Her mind was running and her body was tense. She would cast a ' _Bombarda Maxima_ ' if they tried to touch her. She can hurt herself with it, but she wouldn’t submit without a fight.

  
  


"Didn't you know, Nott," Dolohov began, voice full of mirth. "This little lioness here escaped Death's grasp a few times on her life, even a Killing Curse when she was a baby?"

  
  


"No way!" Knott said mockingly, showing an exaggerated surprised face. Of course everybody on Slytherin already knew what happened in Divination class, and of course she would be chosen now as their new plaything. "What else?"

  
  


"Well, apparently she has a scar for each encounter with Death. The strange one on her forehead was made by the killing curse and we were just about to ask her to show us the other ones," While Dolohov talked, more of the boys approached. Holly's heart almost stopped when she saw no girls there. Of course they left.

  
  


"Can you step away? I want to go to my room." Holly said to Dolohov, her voice faltering. His smirk widened, noticing her nervousness. A tall and strong blonde Slytherin approached them, but he wasn't looking at Holly, he was scowling at Dolohov with crossed arms.

  
  


"You heard the lady, Ivan, back off!"

  
  


"It's fine, Captain, we are just talking," Dolohov said while gave only one step back, eyes locked on Holly's.

  
  


"Everything is under control Winky, we are just curious, right?" Nott said to the tall blonde, who didn't budge, standing still near them with a frown. The Slytherin King was facing Holly again. Other boys approached them, but not much close, like sharks smelling blood inside the water or just common Slytherins smelling confusion. Just two or three remained on their original places, observing the situation from distance.

  
  


Holly was trying to control her breath and force her body to keep calm. Her hands were trembling slightly and she had to keep her cool if she needed to defend herself. The tall blond seemed pissed with their attitude, but it also seemed conflicted to contradict the Headboy. Nott was a prestigious Pure-blood family, after all.

  
  


"So, about what story you are more curious about?" Nott asked the fifth years.

  
  


Lestrange interceded before Dolohov talked and sounded like a pervert. "I am intrigued by how she lost her 'beloved'," He said the last word in a scorning tone, his face full of disdain.

  
  


"Fuck you!" Holly spat with a strangled voice. Her vision was blurry and she used all her will power to hold her own tears, but it was clear she was about to cry.

  
  


"Awn, Aldebaran... it seems you hurt her feelings," Dolohov said with fake concern, and Holly heard some chuckles. The tall blonde made a ‘tsc’.

  
  


"Was he a _mudblood too,_ like your new Ravenclaw friend?" Nott had an expression of fake sympathy.

  
  


"Well, he wasn't a coward like you!" Holly sneered at the Slytherin King, incapable to control her temper.”How many thugs do you need to intimidate a girl like me?" She waved a hand on their direction. "Too afraid to face me alone?"

  
  


The Room was in completely silence for a few seconds. Nott inhaled soundly and gave a step on her direction.

  
  


"You are too brave, aren't you?" Nott tried to impose his bigger size to her, but it wasn't effective as Tom or Dolohov. Anyone was taller than Holly, but Nott wasn't tall for a boy. Holly lift up an eyebrow and let out a snort. That seemed to enrage him. "Well, it seems you aren't going to tell us how your boyfriend died, so I think I will have to see by myself!"

  
  


By the peripheral vision she saw the tall blonde give a step towards them, probably to stop Nott, but he was too late.

  
  


Everything happened too quickly. Holly felt Knott's mind brush over hers and then she welcomed him, placing on the surface of her mind the perfect memory for unwanted guests. He dove in without thinking twice.

  
  


Holly never thought it would be so easy for someone to fall into her trap. A very elaborated one, actually.

  
  


On her fifth year, Holly discovered how shitty she was at _Occlumency_. It was almost impossible for her to empty her mind and she was always very easy to read. That's why she and professor Snape tried to think out of the box and they found an alternative solution (that unfortunately didn't work with Voldemort, because she was sleeping when he invaded her mind).

  
  


She made some experiments with her dear mentor, but never with her worst memories.

  
  


If somebody tried to enter Holly's mind, the trick was to offer no resistance. When the person invaded the chosen memory, Holly's consciousness would embrace the foreign presence on her own, and their minds would melt together for a brief period of time, so the person would be able not just to see, but to hear, to smell and experience exactly the same sensations as her, including her own feelings. A completely vivid memory.

  
  


After taking the bait, the person in question would be completely at Holly's mercy. Just like Nott did.

  
  


If he was so curious about Holly's past and near death's experiences, why not satiate his curiousness?

  
  


Nott was now reliving the exact moment when Holly faced a horde of Dementors, probably a hundred of them, while trying to keep them away from herself and from Sirius, who lied down on the frozen lake, unconscious.

  
  


He was able to smell the Dementor's putrid breaths when they tryed to give Holly their Kisses. The coldness in the air, her body freezing, especially on the extremities of her limbs. He also felt the same despair and hopelessness as she felt, among the screams of her mother that she heard, all full effects the Dementors were able to cause. Holly losing her balance and the strength of her body while trying to conjure the Patronus Charm, only a faint silver fog coming out of her wand, she just about to pass away, her vision blurry, surrendering to death, defeated. Nott experienced her full range of emotions and sensations at that moment.

  
  


They faced each other less than ten seconds, but she knew that for him it felt much more. Nott was struggling, trying to get away from her head. When she let him, he jumped away from her, screaming. The tall blonde flinched in surprised and tried to hold him as reflect, but Nott shove him away and his body fell on the floor. He covered his eyes and his head. "GET THEM AWAY FROM ME! GET THEM AWAY FROM ME!!" Dolohov and the others observed the scene horrified, some of the boys were trying to help the Headboy, but he refused to stood up, still thinking he was under attack. If any hand tried to touch his body, he jerked it away, screaming louder.

  
  


Dolohov turned his face to Holly, panic and doubt crossing his eyes. He gave a step back from her and his friends did the same.

  
  


The entrance door burst open and Walburga Black stomped inside, her nostrils flaring. She seemed utterly furious and mad. She was panting like she just ran a marathon and was followed behind the girls who were inside the Common Room just a few minutes ago. Holly felt her chest warm up. The girls didn't abandoned her to the mercy of boys, they gone seek for help. The Head Girl seemed concerned, but when she faced Nott squirming and crying on the floor, she was confused. A few seconds later Lucretia Black and Harley Flint were inside the room too. Tom was the last one to enter, brows furrowed. Holly saw Dolohov stiffen.

  
  


"Can anyone explain to me what's going on here?" Walburga shouted, glaring coldly at the boys standing near Holly, then she sneered at Nott, now sobbing curled like a small child, a seventh year patting his back.

  
  


“It was his fault,” Holly shouted, her voice in a high pitch, staring Walburga. “He tried to read my mind,” She said while pointing down a finger at Nott,. Then she pointed at the fifth years. “They were too curious about my near-death experiences, weren’t they?” She scoffed and then glared at each one of them. “Why don’t you ask him what he saw?” She looked down at Nott. “It’s not so funny, now, right?” He didn’t looked up, whimpering , his face still hiddened. Holly pointed a finger towards Dolohov again. “And he asked me to open my shirt!”

  
  


All the girls present frowned at Dolohov, but Walburga glared holes at him. “You what?” Walburga stormed towards Dolohov’s direction. Unlike Holly, she was tall, more than Nott and less than Dolohov, but she was imposing enough to make him shrink in her presence. He looked down while she was in front of him, completely whipped. “You won’t disrespect any other girl in this House ever again,” She waved a hand on Holly’s direction. “I don’t care if she ‘s strange, or dresses like a boy,” Holly actually grimaced at that, but hold her tongue. “She can even be a _mudblood_ for all I care! No girl in Slytherin will have her honor insulted like that! Not on my watch!”

  
  


“I was jus -” Dolohov started but Walburga just tapped him with her wand and his lips glued together and then his mouth disappeared.

  
  


“I didn’t say you could talk,” Walburga said and Dolohov suddenly looked like a giant kid being scolded. Her head snapped in the direction of one of the tables. “Alphard, why did you let them act like animals?”

  
  


A boy with with an amused smirk answered Walburga very casually, “Oh sis, everything was under control,” He waved his hand, dismissively. “They brag too much, just to act like idiots. The girls left the room to call you and Winky was already helping the damsel in distress,” Walburga’s frown deepened. “And I was also curious how the new girl would react. She has a steel backbone, this one.” He opened a smile to Holly, making her flush a little with the unexpected praise. “I think she broke our Headboy.” He barked a laugh.

  
  


Holly knew that Alphard Black was the uncle that left a good amount of gold to Sirius when he passed away. At first sigh, he wasn’t like her godfather, but seeing him talk... His mannerisms seemed very similar to Sirius’, Holly felt her heart skip a beat, her eyes were watery again. She blinked hard to suppress the tears.

  
  


“I’m sorry for what happened to you,” The tall blonde said to Holly with a guilty expression. “If Ivan misbehaves again you can talk to me, I will kick him out of the Quidditch Team,” He said loudly so Dolohov could hear him. “I’m Winky Crocket,” He offered his hand to Holly. When she took his hand to shake it, he lift her hand up and kissed her knuckles, like a true gentleman. “Nice to meet you, even though in bad circumstances,” He opened a smile to her and she gave a shy smirk back to him.

  
  


“Holly Portier, thanks for helping me.”

  
  


“I think the only one who needs help here is Nott.” He scoffed.

  
  


Holly sighed. “Can you tell someone to give him a piece of chocolate? He will feel better,” She said to Crocket and he only lifted a questioning eyebrow. As much as Nott acted like a jerk, Holly was too soft and hated to see people suffering.

  
  


Lucretia approached them and took Holly’s hands on hers. “I’ll take her to our bed chambers now, Crocket. Good night!” Lucretia showed her secretive smile to the Quidditch Captain, who said his goodbyes for both witches.

  
  


Holly and Lucretia left the Common Room. When they were inside the girl’s dormitory, Lucretia guided Holly to sit in her bed so they could talk. She asked Holly about the Divination Class, but Holly didn't want to give Lucretia too many details.

  
  


“You know, Holly… If you were able to hide your feelings or to lie just a little bit, you could act like what professor Vablatsky said wasn’t anything with great importance to you,” Lucretia declared with a soft voice. “People would think she was wrong or she gave you a coded message that only you could understand,” She brushed Holly’s knuckles with her thumb. “You left the classroom crying, so now everybody know that she said hard truths about your past and how much they affect you…”

  
  


Holly choked on her breath, feeling like crying again. “You are right… I feel so stupid sometimes,”

  
  


Lucretia giggled. Her eyes darkened a little and Holly felt the thumb of the other witch tracing patterns along the scar on the back of her hand. _‘I must not tell lies_ ’. Holly pulled her hand away, now feeling uncomfortable by the pitying look on her beautiful gray eyes. Holly swallowed a lump on her throat and broken the silence. “No deaths related to this one,” She breath out a humorless laugh.

  
  


Lucretia narrowed her eyes but didn’t push Holly to say more.

  
  


Holly revealed Lucretia that she didn’t understand professor Vablatsky’s statement about Death’s Cloak and Stone and Lucretia widened her eyes. She said to Holly that children raised by wizards or witches usually know the Tales of Beedle the Bard. Holly confirmed her parents died when she was little and she also said she was raised by muggles. She also revealed the witch that she was a half-blood, her mother being a muggleborn. Lucretia didn’t seem to mind blood purity and made no further comments.

  
  


Finally Lucretia told Holly about The Tale of the three Brothers, the Elder Wand, the Resurrection Stone and the Invisibility Cloak.

  
  


Holly thought a lot about it before sleeping. If she was in her original timeline, she would want the Resurrection Stone more than anything in the world.

  
  


Her day was awful. She slept praying to the gods for a better tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, this chapter took more time than I expected, but I didn't want to divide it in two parts, because I had the 'great' idea to make the next chapter on Tom's POV about the same day... I was inspired by the Charms classroom... it's really silly. lol
> 
> It also took a lot of time because I made the drafts until chapter XIV... and I had to write some ideas, etc.
> 
> And there's a part of me divided with 3 other ideas and a oneshot (+18) with a Female Snape's story. Funny thing, the story pairing her up with Lupin came along as the same time as this Tomarry, and this one will be longer than I antecipated... @_@ 
> 
> In my head everything happens faster. lol
> 
> Well, I hope you all stay healthy and safe and thanks for reading my story! :3


	10. More Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly Tom's POV for you. s2
> 
> You will finally discover what was in the parchment! :o
> 
> It took longer than I expected, but I hope you enjoy. :3

Thursday, September 3, 1942

  
  


The beginning of Divination class was very atypical, the revelations about Holly Portier's past were interesting in various ways. First of all, it seemed she experienced very harsh things in her past and was able to maintain her spirit unbroken. Tom admired that. She was a rough diamond with lots of potential and he was very curious about what she can turn into.

  
  


He didn't get the part of Death's heirlooms or whatever, but something said caught his attention completely. The man who tried to kill her when she was just a child avoided death splitting his soul. It seemed like a dark ritual he saw mentioned in a book but still didn't discover the details about it. He thought it would be a good achievement to be immortal, to achieve grandness, but on second hand, if a wizard is incapable of killing a kid or a teenager, it was something that affected the power of the owner's magic. Whoever this person was, he failed to kill a baby with an unforgivable curse. If he wanted to kill a baby, why use magic for that anyway? What's the advantage of being immortal if you are as worthless as a mere muggle? That man was a pathetic failure.

  
  


Tom didn't like the way the professor's blind gaze pierced him while she whispered secrets to the little Lioness. He didn't like her stare, it was like that milky eyes were capable to scrutinize the deepest parts of his soul, or maybe read his thoughts. It was thanks to Divination that he started to study the mind arts after all, afraid of the secrets professor Vablatsky could discover about him.

  
  


Of course some things said by professor Vablatsky raised more questions than answers, but considering how shaken Holly Portier was, it had pretty accurate truths. Tom was very curious about the new girl's past and now his interest grew more than ever. It appears her tormented past was worse than his own, but he felt he was maybe the only person inside Hogwarts that was able to relate with her pain and her losses. Just like her, he was alone in the world, an orphan raised by muggles. A deep part of him wanted to know her secrets and maybe comfort her. He never felt that for anyone, she was messing with him in a way he couldn't understand. Holly Portier was a unique enigma and he loved to investigate and discover mysteries, decipher puzzles… the new girl was like a full banquet to the insatiable hunger of his mind.

  
  


He though it was funny that the little lioness was very similar to the Snow White Princess, not only physically, but she avoided death more than one time, with a witch trying to kill her. The only difference was that a wizard tried to kill her and the lack of seven dwarfs.

  
  


The revelations made most of the students very agitated. After the girl left the classroom in a hurry, the professor puts a hand on Myrtle's shoulder, making her flinch. "You have no idea how blessed you will be to receive your O.W.L.s next year." The witch spoke facing the rest of the classroom, her blank gaze scanning everyone. The Ravenclaw turned pale for a matter of seconds, probably afraid to have her own secrets spilled out too.

  
  


"I had an important matter to discuss with everyone today, what was that again?" The old hag asked most to herself, a long nail scratching her chin. She acted like nothing just happened, a student leaving her classroom crying.

  
  


"O.W.L.s" The crow said on her shoulder, mimicking a voice of a small child. The old witch's familiar was as creepy as its master.

  
  


"Oh right!" The old woman chuckled and gave a brief explanation about what usually appears on the exams and the content she would gave them this term and gave an speech that lasted around five minutes.

  
  


"But today we will talk about Soulmates, Soul bonds and Destiny. Anyone can tell me what Soulmates are?"

  
  


A Ravenclaw lift up her hand and the professor turned her head up to the student and nodded for her to answer. It always spooked the students how she was able to do that being blind. "Soulmates are half of your soul. If you have the luck to find your Soulmate, you'll have the ultimate blessing of the love of your life."

  
  


The old witch chuckled. "Oh my... you couldn't be more wrong," The expression of the girl became sour, she was very sure of her answer. "First of all, we born as whole souls, not halves. You don't need other person to be a complete being. On second hand, Soulmates can be the love of your life, but it's not in all cases. Soulmates are souls that complement each other, they share similarities of course, but can be very opposite in some aspects. You don't necessarily are lucky to find your soulmate, considering it can be your worst enemy. The soulmates exists to teach and learn with each other, and can even be someone who just steps briefly in your life and helps you to change it somehow, or your point of view. Soulmates find themselves at home in each other's presence. The masks fall and they show their true selves. As I said before, your soulmate can be your worst enemy. There are cases when the person who knows you more is the one you most hate. Of course, nothing is truly settled in this life. Enemies can turn out to be friends and the love of your life can be the person who will stab you on the back. Life is a box of surprises and that's why Divination is so interesting." The old hag muffled a chuckle with her hand.

  
  


"Soulmates can be friends, lovers, brothers, enemies, and even creatures from other species. You can also find more than one soulmate in your life.”

  
  


"Soul bonds on the other hand, are extremely rare. It means your soul are truly connected with another and your paths are meant to cross. Destiny is not something truly settled but events with the highest probabilities to occur. Yet soul bonds are very powerful and have a strong pull. It's like a potent magnet that make souls find each other.As an example, there is a very strong belief in some parts of Asia, that some people are linked by a Red Thread of Fate, tied by the gods and invisible to common eyes.”

  
  


"Soul bonds are most common between twins. Their minds and hearts have an especial connection, and they can share feelings, thoughts and even know if something good or bad bad happened, despite the distance they are. In a way, soul bonds are special cases of Soulmates. They can also be enemies, friends, lovers or share the same blood, but being stronger, they always have signs that prove their existence, like twin wands or marks with the same patterns on the body. Soul bonds can also be forged by rituals, but aren't strong as natural ones."

  
  


“Pacts and vows made in rituals are good examples of forged soul bonds.”

  
  


A hand was lift up, it was from the Ravenclaw boy with platinum hair. The witch turned her head to his direction and made a gesture, allowing him to speak. "What are Twin Wands, professor?"

  
  


"They are wands that share the core of the same magical creature. The wood and the length of the wand are usually different, but even between brothers and twins they are a very rare occurrence. It’s not my area of expertise, but as far as I know, Twin Wands aren't effective battling against each other and are very effective against the same opponent. They can also be called ‘Brother Wands’.”

  
  


And so professor Vablatsky continued her lecture about Destiny, Soulmates and Soul bonds. Tom wanted to roll his eyes, that conversation was full of bullshit to him and it was hard to pay attention. The girls seemed to enjoy it, though. He only made a few notes to help in his homework later, but he couldn’t believe in these things and it only bored him to death.

  
  


It's a good fact that Twin Wands are a rare event. He would hate if he had to fight someone and his wand would fail to obey him.

  
  


As soon as the class finished and the Slytherins were outside together, going to the next class, he heard the girls gossiping about Holly Portier.

  
  


"Professor Vablatsky mentioned the Stone and the Cloak, what about the Elder Wand?" he heard Harley Flint said.

  
  


"These are just tales, Harley... I doubt she was talking about the real deal, it probably meant something else, or do you think Portier had a true Grim?" Lucretia scoffed. She was reasonable, but to Tom, it seemed like she wanted to discredit what was revealed about Portier's past.

  
  


"Of course not! But what about the Unforgivables? Do you think she was tortured before coming here at Hogwarts? I saw a strange scar on her right hand when she was brushing her teeth last night, but I didn't take a closer look. If is true that she has other scars... where do you think she lived before coming here?"

  
  


"I thought she was home schooled or a transfer students from Beauxbatons,"

  
  


"Pfff... Beauxbatons? Lucretia, please... dressing like that?" Miranda Nott retorted. "Or maybe she was expelled," The blonde girl giggled.

  
  


They started to talk about clothes and other girly things that made Tom abstract from their conversation. Aldebaran Lestrange traded a look with him. He was also paying attention to their talk.

  
  


Lestrange was quiet, what wasn't unusual of him and that's why he was the roommate he less despised, but he had a frown, like he was deep in thought.

  
  


"Elder Wand and Death's Cloak... do you have any idea what this is all about?" Tom asked him in a low voice, while the girls were chatting behind them.

  
  


Lestrange raised his eyebrows in genuine surprise. "Did you never heard the stories of Beedle the Bard?"

  
  


Tom narrowed his eyes dangerously. "If I've heard about it, why would I ask anything to you?"

  
  


Lestrange swallowed a lump in his throat. His roommates knew how to thread carefully at the first sign of his anger. "Sorry, Riddle... they are child's stories and we all grew up hearing them," Tom right eye twitched and Lestrange held his breath. The sub context was clear to Tom. 'All kids raised by wizards and witches, not by muggles. "I- I can tell you the Tale of Three Brothers if you want!" He add, an expression of a person about to shit his own pants. Tom suppressed a smirk. He loved to be feared by the heirs of important families. Tom let his slip pass this time.

  
  


"Go on." Tom said in a calm tone.

  
  


And then Aldebaran told the Tale of Three Brothers to him. It was a little sinister for kids and he would love to grow up hearing stories like this as a child. The only gift he thought it was interesting was the Elder Wand. How the man who gained it slept without at least putting protection wards around him? He deserved to be killed. Moron.

  
  


Later he would borrow the book from the library to know the other stories, like all of magic kids knew. But his favorite fairy tale at the moment was the muggle one about the Snow White. A beautiful young princess with hair as black as ebony, lips as red as the rose, skin as white as snow. She ran from the evil queen, who was actually an evil witch who tried to kill the princess, who escaped her murder attempts several times. Holly Portier just needed the seven dwarfs now. Tom would love to take the place of the prince who punished the evil witch, by forcing her to put enchanted shoes that were extremely hot, so she danced with them until she dropped dead.

  
  


Actually, muggle child tales were a little macabre too. It was very inspiring, he should have paid more attention to them.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Holly Portier sat isolated from the Slytherins on Charms classroom. Her face was puffy and her nose was pink. It was obvious she cried her hearts out. It was strange in a way. She wasn’t like one of that girls who acted like a cry-baby, just like her mudblood friend. By the looks on her face, she spent her free time doing that, so the things the Divination professor said were undoubtedly true and really affected her. As much as she made him angered on the day before, he didn't like to see her like that. It didn't suit her.

  
  


He was really interested now on knowing her better, but it would be wiser to give her some space. It was clear she didn't want to talk.

  
  


Dolohov noticed her behavior and asked Lestrange what happened, and he told him and Rosier. Now they knew what happened in Divination. The Slytherin girls behind them were also whispering and murmuring more than usual. It was obvious that everyone in his House would know everything that happened by lunch.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Holly Portier was the main topic by lunch, for no one’s surprise. The Divination old professor was very conceited on her predictions, so the majority of the Slytherins now believed the new girl survived the Killing Curse as a baby, lost her all her family and her betrothed, had a Grim as her familiar and had the original Invisibility Cloak, gifted by Death herself.

  
  


Holly Portier was wise to avoid the meals with them. In less than ten minutes people were wondering how her scars looked like. One of the first years said she had a tattoo on the back of her hand saying 'I must tell no lies'. Harley Flint confirmed she indeed had something written that, but it was carved in her flesh, it wasn’t a tattoo. Lestrange reminded them the professor said she experienced all Unforgivables and then the torture topic became more real. They told that wherever she was before Hogwarts, she was forced to do things and suffered the Pain Curse as other form of punishment. Their talking was disgusting even for Tom's standards. He hated more some snarky remarks about the _Imperius_ curse on sexual context. A well-pointed glare of his was more than enough to stop the conversation to stay on that course. It was disrespectful with ladies on the table. He was surrounded by idiots.

  
  


"I don't believe it. You are exaggerating... The girl has too much fire in her soul and is too brave for someone who was constantly Cruciated or forced to do things. Maybe it happened to her once or twice or maybe you didn't get the true message at all!" Who would say Dolohov someday would be the voice of reason in Slytherin? "That's why I hate Divination, they say things in riddles or concealed words. We can only know what is true or not if we ask her." He had a grin on his face and was glancing at Tom, seeking for approval.

  
  


  
  


He just ignored him and finished his meal. He had to go to the library before the start of his next class.

  
  


* * *

  
  


It was common for the most traditional pureblood families to teach Runes to their children along with the alphabet. That's why Tom Riddle was until today the only Slytherin in Ancient Runes classroom. He sat down besides Holly Portier, who he knew was just going to ignore him and other Slytherins, but it was a habit of his House to stick together in classes.

  
  


In Hogwarts it was all versus Slytherin and they had to watch each other's back against the other Houses in cases of necessity, even if they hated each other. Undoubtedly, he was perfect capable to handle anything by himself, but he had to zeal for the pride of his House. The new girl was to much all by herself, he didn't know anymore if she was a Snake, a Lioness or a stray Sheep.

  
  


He was conflicted about talking to her or not. He had to wait for an opportunity, when the professor would be distracted or after class. He recalled what Flint said about a scar on the back of her hand and gave a side-eyed peek when she was scribbling something.

  
  


It was true, she has a nasty scar in a vivid pinky color. After a few seconds Tom could distinguish the words. 'I must tell no lies', the first year was right about it. He glanced quickly at her notes and noticed the handwriting was very similar. Tom was questioning how she did that on the back of her right hand, considering she is right-handed... and even if she wasn't, it would be a hard position to write that all by herself. And why would she write a thing like this, carving her own skin? It was quite obvious someone did that to her, probably in a magic way. Tom was about to ask her, when his gaze felt on the piece of paper where she was now writing.

  
  


_**'I barely know Dumbledore and I think he is disgusting. His robes are an offense to my eyesight, why they need to be so vibrant? Is this the Gryffindor way to seek** _ _**attention? Well** _ _**, if it's the case, he is indeed representing well th** _ _**at** _ _**show-offs** _ _**douchebags** _ _**!'** _

  
  


_'My thoughts exactly!'_ He had to agree with the girl and was surprised that someone shared his opinion about the Transfiguration professor. Even the Slytherins didn't disliked too much the Head of Gryffindor. She didn't stop there.

  
  


_**'Now I understand why there is a "Dumb" in "Dumbledore".'** _

  
  


Tom had to suppress a snort at her quip. Holly tapped her hand on the parchment and the message vanished. Tom noticed that something caught Warren's attention and saw her scribbling in a similar piece of paper and tapping her wand there.

  
  


A new handwriting appeared on Holly's parchment, but he couldn't discern what the Ravenclaw wrote. Not that he cared, he didn't even want to know what she had to say. Tom despised weak people like that filthy _mudblood_.

  
  


So, they made a way to talk between themselves. It was simple, but creative. Tom had a hunch it was Holly's doing and felt fascinated by her ingeniosity. It was a good method to have a chat inside the classroom with discretion. Maybe she deserved to be in Slytherin after all.

  
  


_**'I can't understand the appeal on Quidditch. I think is overrated and the people who love it are a bunch of morons. And why people are so attracted by Quidditch players? They don't need to be even smart to chase after a ball. Dogs can do that, maybe even better.'** _

  
  


Oh yes... Even a dickhead like Dolohov would have a chance with the fair sex if he had the timing to keep his mouth shut. Even being the Beater of their team, Dolohov managed to never being able to kiss anybody in his life. And he tried. A lot.

  
  


And again he had to agree with her, but he felt strange... It was very unlikely someone sharing his same unpopular opinions, even more two times in a row. Tom felt like their minds were linked somehow.

  
  


Soulmates or soul bonds? What was the difference, again? He always considered these things rubbish, so he wasn't really paying attention at professor Vablatsky's explanation, but for the first time in his life he felt a connection with someone. He was controlling himself as much as he could to not start a conversation with her right there, saying how much he agreed with her. He never felt an urge so intense to speak with someone and it made him a little giddy. He inhaled deeply and shifted in his seat. It was better to observe before acting, it wasn't like him to be so precipitated.

  
  


_**'Is Chang a Quidditch player too?'**_ Now the girls were gossiping about boys... so typical. Yes, he was right all along, Soulmates are bullshit.

  
  


_**'Call me surprised... You can tell me you think he is handsome and popular, but I think is only because of his exotic looks. Being an** _ _**Asian** _ _**, you know? I particularly think he is quite plain!'** _

  
  


Okay, soulmates are a real deal after all. He never doubted that for a moment.

  
  


_**' He doesn't look so smart for a Ravenclaw. He took points from his own house yesterday, for Merlin's sake! If he is a Prefect, I think anyone can be too.'** _

  
  


That hurt a little. Tom was about to break the silence with Holly, but he stopped when he saw his name written on the parchment.

  
  


_**'Take Riddle for example. I think he has lots of potential and seems pretty smart and capable. He would be the best choice of Prefect anyway, but truth to be told, they hadn't many options in Slytherin. Dolohov see** _ _**m** _ _**s unable to tie his own shoes, imagine him or any of his friends as a prefect!'** _

  
  


She was being very realistic, but Tom couldn't refrain his heart for skipping a beat with her praises about him. He felt his cheeks warmer, and for the first time he truly regretted mistreating someone like he did to her the day before. It was rare for him to display the raw power of his magic, even less for a girl! But she also has something in her that Tom can't explain, but was able to make him extremely mad without difficulty. This girl can get under his skin so easily and he has no idea why. Now he was feeling happy and with a knot in his stomach. He met this witch two days ago and she was messing up with him really hard. What will happen to him in a week or two?

  
  


_**'And his magic is really strong! He overreacted** _ _**a little** _ _**yesterday and it was scary... but it was** _ _**completely** _ _**my fault for being so disrespectful** _ _**when he tried to help me** _ _**... I really want to talk to him again, do you think he will forgive me?'** _

  
  


' _Absolutely_!' He almost let slip out loud.

  
  


It couldn't be, he just thought about yesterday and she wrote it down. The only explanation he had was that crappy thing about soulmates sharing thoughts and feelings. He looked up at her to see if she was looking at him, but she seemed completely unaware of her surroundings. She just glanced up to the professor from time to time, to avoid being caught, but she didn't turn her head to observe him even once!

  
  


He felt slightly guilty for reading all her conversation with the mudblood. He wasn't used with this feeling, he only felt guilty for things he hasn’t done.

  
  


He caught himself thinking about how could be interesting to have a proper conversation with her. Now he wasn't just curious about her tormented past, he wanted to know everything he could about her tastes, her desires, her opinions...

  
  


Tom never felt silly about any girl before. Now he was completely bewitched. It just took her two days and a few written words. What is happening to him?

  
  


He didn't even mind she dressed like a boy, he rather enjoyed her looks, truth to be told. Maybe he had a thing for tomboys and just discovered because of her.

  
  


Actually, giving more thought, she would be splendid in fancy clothes too and even better naked. Merlin, what was wrong with him? It was like he changed a switch inside his mind and he suddenly became stupid and maybe a little emotional.

  
  


Tom's heart leaped inside his chest. Holly Portier was taking notes about O.W.L.s but he wanted to spy more her secret conversation. That fucking _mudblood_ was taking ages to reply!

  
  


He took his own notes, but the true focus of his mind was on what Portier would write next. Part of Tom hoped it was more about him, he wanted to know better her opinions about him, he had to fix the mistake of bursting out in front of her and acting like a caveman, trying to display dominance.

  
  


_**'We were pretty close yesterday, I thought he was going to kiss me,'**_ Well, he wouldn't say 'no' if she asked... _ **'He seems to have a bit of a temper, but I think it can only made things more... interesting.'**_

  
  


_'Oh no, Portier, please don't do this to me...'_

  
  


_**'I prefer** _ _**when things get more** _ _**heated.** _ _**.. If I continue to misbehave, he will have to show me who is the boss, right? I want him to punish me a** _ _**little.** _ _**.. I've never got spanked, but I'd totally let Riddle do that to me!'** _

  
  


_'What a naughty girl!'_ Tom shift on his sit again, this time with a hard-on. Yes, definitely something switched in his brain and turned his mind into mush. He was behaving just like the boys and men he always criticized for thinking only with his lower head in front of a girl. Look at him now, not in his full glory yet, but uncomfortably enough inside his trousers.

  
  


_**'The prefects have access to a special bathroom? If Riddle invited me in, I would scrub every inch of his body. He deserves to be treated like a king.** _

  
  


Salazar... he must be dreaming, there is no other explanation! He would love to be touched by her tiny little hands. And if she touched him down _there_...

  
  


_**'It will look so giant in my hands!'** _

  
  


_'Get out of my mind, Portier!'_ He gritted his teeth and glared at her, he wasn't rational anymore. How could she look so innocent writing all those pervert things? That only enticed him more. He shifted on his sit again and exhaled soundly, trying to get her attention. Didn't she notice he sat by her side and was able to read everything? _'Look at me, damn!'_

  
  


He wasn't even aware that girls could talk so dirty. And she looks so pure! He had to cool down and regain control, but his mind started to work on its own, all his nasty thoughts directed to the small witch. He fluttered his eyes closed and imagined how would feel her delicate tiny hands wrapping his manhood.

  
  


His mind wandered about what he would do to her after class... Yes, he and Holly inside the Prefects' bathroom, that was a very good idea... He would put her on his lap, lift up her skirt and then give her a few smacks on that tiny cute ass, until she begged him to stop. He only would if she promised to behave, of course. She was a very bad girl and he had to correct her. Then, he would tell her to take her clothes off slowly, and she would do that very obediently while he just watched. After she finished undressing, it would be his turn and she would be the one to strip him, being faithful to her own words that he deserves to be treated like a king. He would enter the giant bathtub and she would rub every inch of his body, with special attention to his lower parts, of course. He wondered how her lips would feel like around him.

  
  


She would please him with her small hands and her velvety mouth before he claimed her as his. He hoped her small body would be able to take all his length, he wanted to fuck her rough and wildly, as much as he wanted to bite and suck so much that delicious neck while she screamed his name.

  
  


Tom hate his common muggle name, but coming out of that rose lips, he wouldn't mind at all. He wanted to mark all that white and smooth skin with his love bites.

  
  


And now, thanks to Holly Portier fueling his imagination, he had a massive boner inside the Runes classroom. He wasn't even touching himself and was breathing heavy, his heart thumping inside his rib cage.

  
  


He snapped his eyes open. Fuck, he shouldn't feed his desires, the class was about to finish... Lucky him, he was using his wizard robes and it would made easier to hide his erection if he couldn't calm down. He had to stop this, but his curiosity got the better of him and he eyed the parchment again.

  
  


_**'I want to feel him inside my mouth.'** _

  
  


_Shit, Holly, stop writing this stuff!_ He cursed himself for glancing her notes once more and then her eyes were on his. He froze. Suddenly he felt shy and insecure, the witch caught him spying on her.

  
  


"Are you okay, Riddle? Your face is red. Do you have a fever or something?" She said that with a playful smirk on that pretty rose lips. Tom felt his breath falter.

  
  


_'How dare she write dirty things like this and has the audacity to ask me if I am okay so nonchalantly?'_

  
  


Tom was at a loss of words. Inside his mind, he was full in control, but in front of her, he didn't know exactly how to react, be blunt or subtle. Holly scribbled something down and he didn't look away.

  
  


_**'I will swallow every drop.'** _

  
  


Tom stared Holly and then he glanced her parchment discretely enough to not caught the professor's attention, but clear enough to her that he could read the contents of the message. He cleared his throat, and schooled his expression, trying to appear in all his coolness and not like a bursting teenager who wanted to pin her to the ground and ravage her like a wild animal. "Are you serious about what you just wrote?"

  
  


_'Because I may want to give you a pearl necklace instead of letting you drink everything.'_ He almost add, but he never had a dirty talk with a girl before and was too timid to test it in a place full of people, no matter how much the witch liked it. Maybe he would try later, when they are alone.

  
  


Then, the mudblood snorted, catching his attention briefly. The Ravenclaw's handwriting appeared again, a blurry. Thank god, the last thing Tom wanted to know was the mudblood's opinion about what Holly wanted to do with him.

  
  


For Tom's surprise, Holly seemed confused, her eyes widened staring her parchment. She turned her head to him. "And what I wrote?" She raised an eyebrow, too casual for his taste. Then he was struck by a sudden realization.

  
  


"It's charmed, isn't it? To protect the true content from prying eyes?" Part of him hoped that wasn't the case and the contents were real. His body was completely lit by desire, but he made his best to hide it.

  
  


"Precisely," She opened a mischievous smirk to him. He felt hurt and stupid. Lucky for him, he was very good in hiding his emotions. "What did you saw, Riddle, that made you so flushed?" The spanking thing still seemed like a good idea.

  
  


He felt like he was caught committing a crime. ' _Well. I saw the start of a dirty talk, my mind did the rest_.' He bit the inside of his cheek. He was now very horny and angry. It wasn’t a good combination. She was indeed a naughty girl who needed to be punished... How about make her feel as embarrassed as him?

  
  


"I can't say straight to your face, it was extremely dirty,"

  
  


The mudblood gasped and soon her message appeared to Holly. Her smirk suddenly faded and now she was red like a tomato. Whatever the hell the effects of the enchantment on the parchment were, it backfired at her in a way and she knew that. She wrote something else to the _mudblood_ and was extremely nervous.

  
  


_**'What if he hit my face with his cock?'** _

  
  


Angry and horny. The enchantment was very precise about his needs. Tom studied her reaction. It was obvious she wasn't aware of his desires or expected it."What is it supposed to show?" He asked, as calm as he could, but boiling inside.

  
  


"It's supposed to show what the person wants to read... stop being ridiculous, I know you didn't read such a thing!" Tom tried to stare at Holly with a serious expression, but he was failing to suppress a smirk. He hadn't a clue he had such strong desires for her... or a spanking kink. Of course he had his normal cravings considering he was a teenager, but he never imagined things so specific before... He was baffled with how dirty his mind could be... and was only his third day with her. She will be definitely his fall.

  
  


But she was so cute a little distressed like that... And Tom didn't say what he really saw. All his anger dissipated, like magic. He felt playful like a cat in front of a prey he didn’t want to kill. Yet.

  
  


Tom hummed, deep in thought. The charmed parchment just rubbed in his face he wanted to get the girl's attention and to be inside her pants. Why deny his desires and new experiences? How can he achieve his new objectives?

  
  


"That's not funny, Riddle, what did you read?"

  
  


God, she seemed desperate for him to deny his previous declaration. If he said the truth bluntly, it certainly would scare her, but he didn't plan on deny either. She made a fool of him, now he had the right to play with her a little too.

  
  


Tom made a gesture for her to approach him, what she innocently did. He was so close and able to smell the delicious scent of her hair, that he had to control himself again to not give a peck on her jaw or her neck. Her body attracted him like a moth to a flame and she hadn't to do anything special. He took his time to talk very slowly near her cute ear, that was also very biteable. "It would be very impolite to voice it out in front of a lady."

  
  


Holly gasped and stared him in disbelief. He couldn't resist into teasing her with a small truth.

  
  


"You are ridiculous, Riddle!"

  
  


He chuckled with her reaction. How can she be so adorable?

  
  


* * *

  
  


Tom Riddle took a very long bath inside the Prefect's bathroom and he finally cleared his head of dirty thoughts. That's why he arrived at dinner really late, he ate practically alone on Slytherin's table.

  
  


He didn't mind at all, it was peaceful and quiet. It would only be better if he had the new girl near him to keep him company.

  
  


He finished his meal with the feeling that nothing would be able to sour his mood that night.

  
  


* * *

  
  


After dinner he gone to the library and for his surprise, he saw Walburga Black spitting fire, stomping hastily on the corridors. Other Slytherin girls and her cousin, Lucretia Black, trailing after her.

  
  


"Did something happen?" Tom asked. He had a bad feeling about it.

  
  


Walburga glared at him. "Yes, it seems so," Her voice contained a lot of venom. For a moment, he thought it was about his quarrel with Portier the day before. Not that he was afraid of Walburga Black, but it wouldn't be a wise move to make the House Black displeased. "Can't you keep your boys in check, Riddle?"

  
  


"What?" He blinked, confused by her statement, but she ignored him, walking really fast, sprinting only on the desert corridors, avoiding to draw attention of the professors. He followed after her and the girls but nobody gave him further explanation. Something significant happened and his roommates were in the middle of it. Lucky them, Tom was very relaxed and slightly sleepy. It would be very difficult to shift his actual mood.

  
  


At least that was what he thought.

  
  


As soon as the empty wall opened to show them the Slytherin Common Room, a scream pierced through their ears. The girls didn't give him space to enter first, and he let them do as they pleased, like the gentleman he is.

  
  


As soon as he entered, he saw Nott crying and screaming on the ground, the new girl standing up staring the blonde boy with a frown. Crocket was near her and the fifth years too. Tom was suddenly very displeased. Dolohov glanced at him with the look of a trained dog who failed his master. His roommates had fear in his eyes that only summed up in his presence.

  
  


They did something wrong and the girl was involved. The morons had to act on their on. He observed everything in silence. He was only curious because the new girl was involved. She seemed angry, sad, but well. If she was the one screaming and crying on the ground, the people involved would have so much trouble later. It was better for Nott that a girl was the one who made him cry. Tom wouldn’t be soft.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Walburga watched as Holly Portier left the Common Room with her cousin. Dominic Nott was still whimpering on the floor, surrounded by his ass-kissers who were trying to comfort him.

  
  


She knew Dominic wasn't one of the bravest on her House, but it was very strange he was crying like a little girl just because of memory. Did the new witch saw a person being skinned alive or something gross like that?

  
  


"I know your only talent is in _Legilimency_ , but do you really had to shove it down the new girl's throat?" Walburga asked sharply to Nott, who only whined lowly as response. He was still being pathetic, gasping and sobbing a little. Walburga rolled her eyes and tapped Dolohov's face, releasing him from the spell that kept his mouth shut. She could ask Lestrange or Rosier, but Ivan was the dumber of the group and would sing like a canary to her. She just raise an eyebrow as a sign for him to start talking.

  
  


And he told her everything, as expected. He asked her to forgive his rudeness, that he only wanted to tease the girl and never crossed his mind to doing something vulgar to her. Merlin... he blabbed so much, Walburga resisted the urge to roll her eyes again. She really didn't have patience for boys and their stupidity... He told her that Nott tried to read her mind, but as soon as they stared each other, Nott had an expression of panic and despair, and when they broke eye contact, Nott was screaming and avoiding the touch of anybody who tried to help him up, just as she saw. Walburga noticed Tom Riddle just staring from distance, with arms crossed. He had a feline grace, like a dangerous predator and he creeped her out, especially his dark and emotionless eyes.

  
  


When Dolohov stopped to talk, Walburga turned again to the Head Boy. He was eating a piece of chocolate, sitting on the floor and wasn't crying anymore. Some of the girls were observing, curiously. Walburga couldn't complain. Who doesn't love a juicy gossip?

  
  


"Are you going to tell us now what you saw on her mind or not? I don't have all night." Walburga said to him with a sneer.

  
  


"Dementors," Nott breathed, still in shock, with a lost gaze. "She was attacked by Dementors," he buried the fingernails of one of his hands in his own scalp. "Lots of Dementors... dozens, maybe hundreds of them!" His breath hitched. "But I wasn't just seeing her memories, I was her," He sobbed and his red eyes shifted to Walburga's. "I felt everything she felt... I was desperate and dying," Nott gasped and shivered. He was embracing himself now, tears rolling on his face. "She took control of my mind, I couldn't escape from her or from them," He choked another sob but continued. "My body was freezing cold... there was a woman screaming inside my head and an old guy lying down on the ground, he looked like a corpse, but I think he was alive, the Dementors wanted both of them," He took a small bit of chocolate and continued, his voice still shaken. " They tried to give me the kiss, they were horrible and smelled worse than rancid meat," He gasped another sob. "I... She was casting the Patronus, but was only a fog, it wasn't enough for all of them,"

  
  


"Wait, the girl can cast a Patronus?" Walburga asked in surprise. The other students changed glances. Nott shuddered. Even a fog as result was a great achievement. The Patronus Charm was a very advanced spell.

  
  


"Most failing then succeeding, but she was alone there... if she survived, I think she did it," He gasped a sob again, hugging himself. "I have no idea how she did, though... one would be enough to make me scared... Now I feel like I can never be happy again," And then he started to cry again, desperately.

  
  


"Next time you be a jerk with my girls, I will make sure of it," Walburga spat with crossed arms. "But I doubt you will try any funny business like that again, right?" He didn't answered, but his deplorable state of defeat was enough for her.

  
  


"You boys can kill each other for all I care, but my girls are off-limits, as strange as they can be!" Walburga shouted so all the boys could hear her threatening message very well. She noticed the group of fifth years trading preoccupied glances with Tom Riddle, who was just observing Walburga with a calm expression. He was respectful towards her, but she knew he was possibly the worse of them all. She thought he was an odd kid as the first time as she put her eyes on him, now he was more dangerous because he could hide better the darkness of his soul. But no matter how charming he acted, his eyes were always cold.

  
  


She swept her eyes over every boy present on the room, stopping last on Tom Riddle. "You better warn the ones who aren't here," Riddle's gaze was locked on hers, an unreadable expression. She approached him and he just blinked calmly. " And I hope you give special attention to your roommates, Riddle, as far as I know, they started this."

  
  


Tom just nodded and smirked politely to her, his eyes always cold. "Don't worry, they won't bother any Slytherin girl ever again. " He just glanced at them before returning again to her. " You seem tired, Black, you better go sleep with the other girls. We boys need to have a serious conversation now." He stared down at Nott and she heard Dominic gulping. The tone of his voice send chills all over her body. He was a freak.

  
  


Walburga narrowed her eyes to him, he showed no reaction. "Fine," She turned her head to the girls on the room, pointing the way of the dormitories with her chin as a signal they better leave. " I'll put the trust of these matters on your hands. Don't disappoint me."

  
  


" I won't." He flashed a smile that didn't reach his eyes and she left the Common Room.

  
  


Tom Riddle was a creep. His eyes always cold and void of emotions. As much handsome or charming as he could be, Walburga knew better. There was something very off about him. She was a Black and had a very keen-sense towards dangerous wizards. Riddle couldn't fool her.

  
  


She recalled well how he was in his first year. A poor mudblood with cold piercing eyes. He was very observant and quiet. Soon the older boys started to pick on him. The next day it was over and Tom was sitting near the Slytherin King on the table. After that, nobody dared to insult him, even the girls who weren't aware of what really happened.

  
  


Walburga was on her third year then and she just heard rumors. Most of them said Tom Riddle entered the dormitory of the seventh years in the middle of the night, while everybody was sleeping, and they woke up with venomous vipers coiled on their chests or enlacing their limbs. He was able to control them and some of the rumors said he was a Parselmouth, just like Salazar Slytherin, a very rare trait. He made his demands and left the room. The vipers disappeared in secret spots hidden on the walls, so they could return later, anytime.

  
  


Of course they were just rumors and the boys refused to say the truth to the girls, who were all advised by the Head Girl and Prefects to leave him alone and be extremely careful to not approach him. A 'tradition' maintained until today. Information spreads fast inside her House and snakes know how to be discreet.

  
  


It ended up that Tom Riddle grew up to be a handsome boy and after his third year he learned how to be charming and how to use his good looks on his favor. But his eyes are always very dark and very cold.

  
  


The better hint that Tom Riddle is a dangerous wizard came from her own brother, Alphard Black. Sometimes Walburga just can't hold her sharp tongue and when she send 'subtle' insults towards Riddle's direction, her brother warns her to stop. Always with a serious and preoccupied expression, and Alphard isn't one to be scared so easily.

  
  


She knew Lucretia already advised the new girl about Riddle, but Walburga would keep a closer watch on them just in case.

  
  


* * *

  
  


As soon as Walburga left, the room felt in deep silence. The tension was so evident it could be cut with a knife. Tom waited a little to make sure the girls wouldn't come back, stepped towards Nott and crouched in front of him. Nott winced.

  
  


"Show me," Tom said with a softy voice, but it wasn't a request.

  
  


"P-please, n-no," Nott reluctantly stared up at him. Tom was impatient to see the girl’s memories and dove inside Nott's mind, ripping his path with furious claws. It was his fault to resist him, trying to hide his most recent and painful memory.

  
  


He found what he wanted to see. The memory was fresh, but it wasn't pure. It was an amalgama of Portier’s mind and Nott's. Maybe that's why she was using robes so similar as her student uniform and why her eyes weren't so bright and emerald. Everything was very gray, actually.

  
  


It was indeed an awful memory. The surroundings of that frozen lake were similar to him somehow, but it was difficult to distinguish shapes and forms, the horde of Dementors was blocking most part of the light of a full moon, like eerie clouds.

  
  


She was younger and was crying, trying to conjure the Patronus charm. A silver mist left out her wand, but only on her third attempt it was stronger, a bright fog. A man lying unconscious on the ground. His clothes were ragged and he was very thin and dirty. Whoever he was, he was important to her, she was trying to save him at any cost and crying he was innocent, while trying to drive the Dementors away.

  
  


Tom never saw a Dementor before, they were hooded creatures with rotten and long fingers. They were more like a shadow moving and were fast. A Dementor was facing her directly, it didn't have eyes, just a hole on its face and it was trying to suck her inside it, its clawed hands on the girl's neck, squeezing it. Probably that's how a Dementor's Kiss looked like.

  
  


Out of his mind, Tom blinked and stared Nott in silence. If he could feel the same as the girl while peeping her mind, Tom was surprised that he didn't faint. It was a nightmare and he hadn't idea of how she survived, but the memory wasn't a fake one. It was very real.

  
  


"Please, don't make me show it again," Nott begged him, whimpering. Tom patted his shoulder, reassuringly, instead of laughing in his face. He wasn't in the humor today of kicking dead dogs.

  
  


"I don't envy you, Nott, that memory was very awful," Tom Riddle said with a sadistic glee that he doesn't even bothered to hide. He stood up."What Nott said is true. The girl can cast a Patronus. In her memory it was just a small mist, but she indeed faced lots of Dementors, so I think she managed to cast a powerful one in the end." He was talking directly to his roommates but in a tone that could be heard by the rest of the Slytherin boys. He gave some steps towards his classmates. They were frozen in fear. Tom had an amused smirk tugging on his lips and that usually happened when he was up to something.

  
  


But no, Tom was just in a better humor than before, the girl was fabulous, he was completely fascinated by her. It was a pity it seemed dangerous to search inside her mind, he wanted to knew so much more about her...

  
  


"I am a little conflicted," Tom spoke to his roommates in a tone of confession, just to their ears. " I don't know if I want to force you to obey the Head Girl or not," his smirk transformed into a smile, making them very uncomfortable. " I don't like to be scolded by Walburga Black, but I would love to see Portier kicking your asses," He left to his bedchambers and didn't even talked to the older students, who seemed very tense observing Riddle smiling like a lunatic.

  
  


He was so doomed. Holly Portier was amazing!

  
  


  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's just me or Tom give an impression of someone who would fall in love easily for a Bot? One of those in instant messages. lol
> 
> I really appreciated all your sweet comments, thanks for reading my fic!
> 
> I hope you all stay well and healthy, here in Brazil we are in complete chaos. @_@


	11. Better days will always come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I don't know how to emulate the way Hagrid talks, so I won't even try. 
> 
> Sorry for the delay, I planned to post earlier but I had a block to write down this chapter powered by some shitty things that happened these last 2 weeks. Also, this chapter turned out to be longer than I expected. I think it may need more 'polishing' in the future, but I hope you enjoy it anyway! And thanks for your lovely comments! Stay safe and healthy!

“ _All things must pass  
None of life's strings can last  
So, I must be on my way  
And face another day_

  
  


_Now the darkness only stays the night-time  
In the morning it will fade away  
Daylight is good at arriving at the right time  
It's not always going to be this grey_

  
  


_All things must pass  
All things must pass away”_

All Things must pass – George Harrison

  
  


Friday, September 4, 1942

  
  


  
  


_Holly was sitting in front of the lake in Hogwarts, staring the horizon and feeling the cool autumn breeze._

  
  


_"Holly, where were you?" Cedric said behind her. She turned her body a little to look up at him._

  
  


_"Cedric?" She said with a whisper._ _H_ _er chest tightened but she didn't know why. She stood up quickly and threw herself at him in a hug. "I missed you so much!"_

  
  


_He laughed out a breath "But you saw me this morning!"_ _The witch_ _heard his voice vibrating in his chest. She inhaled deeply his scent,_ _his cologne had a citrus fresh perfume that really fit him._ _Cedric_ _was_ _always clean_ _a_ _nd_ _even after a Quidditch match, when he was sweaty and dirty,_ _he still had a good smell._

  
  


_"I have something important to tell you,"_ _Holly_ _looked up_ _to stare his blue eyes_ _, hea_ _rt racing_ _inside her rib cage and_ _her intuition screaming that something awful was about to happen_ _._ _"It's important... but I_ _totally_ _forgot_ _what was about_ _!"_

  
  


_He opened a sincere smile at her, cupping her face in his hands. "I_ _f_ _you_ _ca_ _n't remember_ _, it’s not that important,_ _you silly..." He said in a playful way and pecked her lips. Soon they were kissing sweetly by the lake. It was a little uncomfortably for him to kiss her standing up, considering their height difference, so they changed positions and sat in the grass._

  
  


_Cedric liked to take his time brushing his lips on hers before deepen the kiss. His pace_ _sometimes_ _felt_ _way_ _too slow and_ _far too_ _sweet for Holly’_ _s taste_ _, but it wasn't that bad either._ _T_ _hey just had different_ _rhythms._ _Holly_ _liked to be together with him, but at the back of her mind she_ _felt something missing_ _in their relationship,_ _but was too naive to end what they had. She didn't want to broke his heart and he was loyal,_ _trustworthy,_ _sweet and caring. She thought_ _it was just a matter of time before they truly adapted to each other._ _He never protested, so she thought he was satisfied with her and he had more experience in_ _relationships than her._

  
  


_"After I graduate," His words made Holly's chest hurt_ _again_ _, she didn't know why. " I hope I'll be contracted by a professional Quidditch team. It will be good if I win the Triwizard Tournament." Holly had a bad feeling_ _and_ _somehow she knew it_ _was related to that event. She was_ _close to remember what she had to_ _warn C_ _edric_ _about_ _. "And when you graduate I want you to marry me," Cedric said with a boyish smile. Holly felt bad with herself. They just started dating, but Cedric was already talking about marriage_ _when_ _Holly wasn't so certain about her feelings._ _S_ _he had no clue about how_ _to approach this subject_ _without hurting him,_ _s_ _o she just_ _closed her eyes and_ _started_ _another_ _kiss._ _If he just_ _stop talking_ _it could be easier to her to think._ _He chuckled and laid down in the grass,_ _pulling her closer,_ _so Holly was facing him down while kissing him, caressing his jaw._

  
  


_Holly tried to deepen the kiss but he kept his_ _mouth_ _shut. She gave some pecks but he stopped to respond. She leaned back to_ _scold_ _him, but when she opened her eyes, she saw him staring the void with a blank expression. She touched his face and he was cold. Her breath_ _faltered_ _when she_ _studied him_ _better._ _He was using_ _in his Hufflepuff uniform_ _for_ _the Triwizard Tournament. When she looked around, they wasn't by the lake anymore, they were in a cemetery that she knew very well._

  
  


_"Holly Potter..." A familiar_ _and_ _sinister voice_ _called_ _behind her._ _W_ _hen_ _the witch_ _turned around, it wasn't Voldemort with his noseless monster face, but_ _the young_ _Tom Riddle_ _she met at her second year_ _._

  
  


Holly woke up with a gasp, drenched in sweat. She was panting and when her eyesight adjusted with the darkness, she recalled herself that she was now in 1942, inside the Slytherin dormitory.

  
  


Holly was still getting used about her time travel experience, and asked herself when that feeling would pass. The witch cast a _Tempus_ charm to see the time. It was still 5 AM. Well, no way she would be able to come back to sleep after that nightmare. She was fully awake so she gathered her things and took a bath. After that, she would eat something at the kitchen and wait outside the castle until the start of her first class that day.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Holly arrived early at Magical Care, near the grounds of Forbidden Forest. There were already a few Gryffindors waiting and she spotted the extremely tall frame of Hagrid sitting on a stump, isolated from the other students. It didn't surprised her that he was probably an outcast like Myrtle. She walked direct towards him. Even sitting down like that Hagrid towered her. He was slightly smaller than the Hagrid’s version she was familiar with, but he had more than the double of her size anyway. What was most strange is that he didn't have a beard she was so used to and his hair was just short enough to cover his ears.

  
  


"Hello!" Holly greeted him, unable to contain a happy smile, seeing the familiar face of the person who revealed her she was a witch and gave her first birthday cake and Hedwig, her pet snowy owl.

  
  


Hagrid looked around himself before answering Holly, probably thinking she was greeting someone else that he didn't notice near him. He shifted in his seat. "Hello," He answered with a wrinkle formed between his eyebrows. "Do you need something?" Hagrid seemed a little disconcerted by her approach and Holly blamed the Slytherin colors.

  
  


But Holly was determined to reclaim the friendship of her old friend, even though Hagrid was just a little behind Voldemort about putting her life at risk, like when he made her and Ron search for Aragog in her second year, or when he made Holly, Ron and Hermione meet his half-brother Grawp, who was also a giant. However, Holly knew Hagrid was a loyal friend with a big heart and never meant her any harm, the problem was he had almost no sense of danger.

  
  


"Oh, sorry, I didn't introduced myself." Holly opened at him a genuine smile that he didn't reciprocated. She wouldn't doubt he was suspicious she was up to something, talking with him out of nowhere. "I'm Holly Portier, nice to meet you!" She extended a hand to him and he reluctantly shook it between his gigantic fingers. He was just being polite, it was clear he was rather uncomfortable.

  
  


"Rubeus Hagrid," He looked down at his feet, trying in his way to dismiss her. Holly noticed a few Gryffindors elbowing each other and pointing at her direction. Not that Hagrid needed protection, but it was obvious they didn't like the approach of someone from a rival House. But she stood in her ground, determined to start a small talk to him. It wasn't so difficult, she knew well the interests of her half-giant friend.

  
  


"My roommates don't take this class and I didn't have an opportunity to talk with the boys about the contents already given,” Holly started. “Did the professor taught something about Hippogriffs yet? I really like them," She tried to appear more excited about the topic than she really was and it seemed to work out, he widened his eyes when she mentioned the dangerous creatures.

  
  


"Hell no!" Hagrid opened a smile for the first time. "They are considered too ferocious! I think Professor Kettleburn will only introduce them this term or after the O.W.L.s!" So, Draco's father wasn't exaggerating too much about the danger of Hagrid's classes on third year. Holly contained a laugh, Hagrid indeed had a strange 'talent' to perceive dangerous creatures as they were harmless. Cerberus, Acromantulas, Hippogriffs and Dragons were cuddlyand misunderstood creatures in his opinion.

  
  


The half-giant snorted. "It's pretty rare for a girl to take Magical Care, you are the only one in our class." He eyed her up and down. "And you are very tiny, you can stick with me if you are afraid or something." Holly huffed a laugh, it was funny he was a little rude in his straightforwardness. Another difference in the past, ather own time the class of Magical Care had a pretty good amount of girls.

  
  


"I may be tiny, but when I was eleven, I helped a friend to take down a Mountain Troll!" Holly stated proudly, chest stuffed and chin lifted.

  
  


"No way!" He spoke with an amused smile. "How that happened?"

  
  


And then Holly told him how Ron used a _Wingardium Leviosa_ on the Troll's club while she stuck her wand inside his nose. Of course she omitted that everything happened in Hogwarts but he didn't ask these details, he was too occupied almost rolling in the ground, laughing hard with her story. The Gryffindor boys were attentive to her and Hagrid since Holly approach him, but now their looks softened, seeing Hagrid having fun. Holly was happy that they were looking after their schoolmate in a way, but she didn't notice the arrival of the Slytherin boys and the way Tom Riddle scrunched up his nose when saw her so comfortable around a Gryffindor who was also the biggest person in the school. Hagrid has a soft heart but because of his height he could be pretty intimidating.

  
  


Holly was distracted, talking to Hagrid about dragons when the professor arrived from the Forbidden Forest followed by a Thestral that was leashed, unlike the rest of its herd that followed right behind them. Professor Silvanus Kettleburn was around his thirties and had a glove with two prosthetic fingers, a prosthetic foot and some scars in his face, but he wasn't serious or scary. He had a cheerful face and gentle eyes.

  
  


"Good morning class!" He flashed a smile to Holly and Hagrid and then looked in the direction of the other students. He had four or five golden teeth on the upper front of his mouth. Holly was asking herself what creature ran over him to let him this way. The class greeted him with furrowed brows. "Anyone has any idea of which creature we will study today?"

  
  


"A giant Demiguise?" A Gryffindor answered and that made the professor laugh, among the other Gryffindors who stare at the suspended leash in the air.

  
  


"That was a good guess, but no," He snorted. " Hold up your hand if you are capable to see them."

  
  


Holly almost laugh when she saw a Gryffindor mouthing 'them?' to his friend, like the professor lost his mind and she lifted up her hand with confidence. The professor turned his head to her in surprise and then to Hagrid, who also did the same, with a sorrowful face. Tom Riddle was staring her with his brows furrowed and then reluctantly he also lifted up his hand. Dolohov glanced Riddle with confusion in his eyes, followed by Lestrange and Rosier, but they made no comment.

  
  


Professor Kettleburn glanced at Tom and then to the rest of the class who seemed very confused about this creature that apparently only random people could saw.

  
  


"Three, hm? I actually expected less," The professor made a gesture so the rest of class come closer to him. "Today we gonna study Thestrals. For the ones who can't see them, open your books in the page 44. There is a drawing of their general appearance," And then he started to describe to the students some of its physical characteristics. Tom approached Holly and Hagrid, leaving the other Slytherins alone.

  
  


"Why just us can see them?" Tom asked Holly with a low voice.

  
  


"They are invisible to people who never saw someone dead." It was Hagrid who answered, Holly still astonished that Tom was already able to see the Thestrals. Her heart tightened a little, in a way part of her expecting the worse, that he wasn't innocent of murder. Tom furrowed his brows deeper at Hagrid's direction. Holly knew Tom was annoyed that the Gryffindor intruded himself in their conversation and then he stared down at Holly again with a raised eyebrow.

  
  


"W-who did you saw?" The question slipped her lips before she could process, her voice constricted.

  
  


Tom answered her with a disturbingly calm tone. "I grown up in a muggle orphanage, it's common that some kids or babies don't make it sometimes. Specially the sick and weak ones."

  
  


Before Holly could answer something she was interrupted by Hagrid, who was already crying, with red nose and eyes. "Oh man, that was really sad! Poor children!" The Gryffindor sniffed and hiccuped and Tom stared up again at Hagrid with narrowed eyes and curled lips. He didn't care in hiding the disgust in his face, staring the half-giant like he was far too stupid, but Hagrid didn't appear to notice and continued to talk. "In my case was my dad, two years ago," Hagrid's gaze changed to Holly and she stared up him with sad eyes and patted his forearm, trying to comfort him. A few seconds passed until she realized they wanted to know who she saw dead.

  
  


"My boyfriend," She answered shyly and stared down at the ground. Hagrid sobbed and patted her back.

  
  


"Oh Godric, this is so sad!" Hagrid gaspedand dried the tears on his cheeks with the back of his hands. The atmosphere was now gloomy and tense but in a way Holly wanted to laugh, seeing the soft-hearted half-giant crying like a baby while young Voldemort rolled his eyes at Hagrid before his gaze bore into hers again with an unreadable expression.

  
  


Some Gryffindors crinkled their eyebrows to them. They were a little curious about the conversation that made one of their Housemates cry. Professor Kettleburn didn't notice the side-line conversation, and kept talking about the Thestrals.

  
  


"They may lookvery skinny and fragile, but they actually eat a considerably amount of meat every day and are very strong. The herd we have in Hogwarts are domesticated, but wild Thestrals are as dangerous as werewolves, with the difference that they usually attack only if feel threatened."

  
  


To Holly it was just few days ago that she used Thestrals to fly to the Ministry of Magic in London. If she wasn't so preoccupied with her godfather well-being, she would probably have enjoyed a lot the ride. Thestrals were much faster than her Firebolt and she loved to fly. It seemed like decades ago the last time she flew in a broom, Umbridge took hers and kicked Holly out of the Quidditch team. She really missed the sensation of the wind in her face and to be high up in the sky.

  
  


"Can we speak after class?" Tom's voice near her ear interrupted her line of though. She just nodded in response and her attention came back to the professor and the Thestral in front of her.

  
  


* * *

  
  


After the class finished, Tom and Holly walked alone towards the castle.

  
  


"I'm sorry for what happened after Transfiguration," Tom started and Holly stared up him in surprise. "And I am really ashamed about how my roommates treated you yesterday, specially Ivan."

  
  


"Okay..." Holly furrowed her brows and stared down the ground, still walking, expecting him to continue. She knew Tom was manipulative and it was against his nature to be apologetic, it was obvious to her that he wanted to gain something.

  
  


"I want us to start again as friends with a clean slate," She stared up him in disbelief and his eyes were strangely softened. She knew from her experience at the second year with the Diary that Tom Riddle was an extraordinary good actor and it was unsettling to her that he wanted to start over their ‘friendship’. As far as she knew, Voldemort never had true friends, he only had pawns, and she was more used with him as an open enemy. Even though he wasn't the same wizard that brought misery to her life, and in a way she wanted to save him and show him goodness, it was rather uncomfortable to see Tom Riddle wanting to extend the olive branch. "I assure you they won't bother you again," Tom said with a secretive smirk. Holly just blinked at him, at a loss of words. " I told Walburga Black to use them as she wish for the next two weeks and Crocket also put Ivan in care of all the brooms and equipment of the Quidditch Team, or he is out." He flashed a smile to her. "And you can make a request to any of them if you want. They will obey." His black orbs had a strange gleam in them. "And of course I am at your disposaltoo, because I am also at fault with you."

  
  


Her sixth sense buzzed. It was a trap, it couldn’t be anything else. She stopped in her heels and he followed her gesture. They were now facing each other. Holly mistrusting his unexpected behavior and he staring down at her with the serene expression of an innocent angel. Probably Lucifer.

  
  


"Is this some kind of prank?" She asks him with narrowed eyes and he let out a chuckle.

  
  


"No it's not. Dolohov crossed a line yesterday with a Slytherin lady and I don't want your enmity."

  
  


Holly opened her mouth and closed again, still not believing in him. " So I can make _any_ request and you all will accept it?"

  
  


"Of course, as long you are reasonable."

  
  


"Fine." Holly nodded and stared at the ground for a few seconds, to think about what she should request to them. "Then, I don't want you all to mistreat any muggleborns and Dolohov must apologize directly to Myrtle for calling her a 'mudblood' and he has to give his word to her that he won't do it ever again.” She doubted they would do any of that, but it wouldn't hurt trying. Even if this last just a few days, it will be a win-win situation. It was also good to test how far Tom intendto go to gain her ‘friendship’.

  
  


"I think this is reasonable. Consider it done." He offers her a hand and she just looked down at it before speaking again.

  
  


"And you will lend me your notes if I ask you," She offered with a haughty look. He chuckled again and opened a charming smile, his hand still in the air.

  
  


"Sure!"

  
  


Holly couldn’t contain a smirk from tugging her lips and she shook his hand to seal the deal. If she is unable to discover any dirty secret hiding in his notes, at least she will have a better chance to pass in History and Herbology with good grades.

  
  


Harmless promises that could be followed were a good start to change the future for better.

  
  


* * *

  
  


After Charms on her third period, Holly decided to take lunch at the Slytherin table again, not hiding in the kitchens. Everybody stared at her in silence. Her presence ended all conversations and everyone seemed wary of her. When she was near the middle of the table, Nott’s face paled, conscious of her presence and he averted her gaze. He had black circles under his eyes, clearly had trouble sleeping with the memory of the Dementors the night before.

  
  


"You have a place near the girls if you want," Walburga spoke to her and pointed with a nod a vacant seat next to the fifth year Prefect,Harley Flint.

  
  


"Thank you, but I will sit there today," Holly politely refused, pointing a spot near the first years. She would have acceptedit if was next to Lucretia Black, though. She was the only girl in Slytherin who treated her well. Near the first and second years she could be invisible and feel in peace. Walburga started a conversation about a new dress with a girl sitting across from her. It was her way to dismiss Holly.

  
  


Holly sat down near a first year girl, but when she glanced at the opposite side of the table, the mini Malfoy was staring at her in awe. Holly raised a questioning eyebrow for a moment, but chose to focus on her meal. She heard him cough and ignored him, taking a sip on the orange juice in her goblet. She heard him cough again, twice, in an exaggerated way. When she looked across the table, the first years were observing her with awareness and curiosity at the same time. Holly sighed and turned her face to the boy who was obviously seeking her attention. He seemed nervous, his cheeks tinged in pink, but he put his mask of confidence.

  
  


" I am the Malfoy heir, Abraxas" He showed her an arrogant smirk, trying to appear jaunty. "Are you Holly Portier, right? Nice to meet you!" He bowed his head just slightly in her direction.

  
  


Holly was surprised by the lack of hostility coming from a Malfoy she barely met. He seemed to be more cockier than Lucius, but her affair with Draco probably spoiled her a little, because she didn't feel the urge to punch his face. The pampered brat was actually irritatingly adorable. He was cuter than Draco was at the same age and that didn't help much. It was visible he was the most influential person among the first years. It didn't surprise her, the Malfoys were a very prestigious family and even in her time, when Malfoy reputation was stained by joining forces with Voldemort, Draco had all the Quidditch team of Slytherin inside his pockets when he was just in his second year.

  
  


"Yes. Why do you ask?" Holly kept her tone neutral and baby Malfoy opened a smile for her.

  
  


"Is it true you can conjure a Patronus?" He asked bluntly, a gleam in his eyes, full of expectations.

  
  


"Y-yes! how do you know that?" The kids gasped with her answer and Holly felt stupid as soon as she finished her sentence. She forgot for a second the memory she made Nott experience the night before and it was obvious that everyone in Slytherin already knew about what he saw.

  
  


"So is it true that you defeated thousands of Dementors conjuring a Patronus to save you and your beloved, who had thrice of your age?"

  
  


Holly stared baby Malfoy with a blank face for a moment before she burst out in a hysteric laugh. It was harder to stop with Abraxas Malfoy pouting at her with furrowed brows. Everyone was observing her on Slytherin table and a few Ravenclaws nearby.

  
  


"Oh no… Eew!" She looked him with a wrinkled nose. "He was with my godfather, not my 'beloved'," She spoke the last word like it was a joke. "And there were lots of Dementors, but they weren't thousands, maybe a hundred..."

  
  


"Can you show us?" A little boy in front of her spoke with puppy eyes. The other kids were sharing looks between themselves, and then they did the same as him, looking at Holly with pleading eyes.

  
  


The hatchlings were so fucking cute, Holly could only sigh in defeat. "Fine, let's finish our meal and then we can look for an empty classroom," She skimmed her eyes to each one of them. "If I do it here it will drawn too much attention." They opened bright smiles at Holly and traded victorious glances between themselves.

  
  


"If I knew how to do a Patronus, I would show it to everyone!" One of the girls spoke in a snobbish tone, with raised eyebrows and her nose up.

  
  


They started to devour their foods like mini Rons and Holly stopped them before any of the older Slytherins asked what the hell was happening.

  
  


"No hurry, I will eat in my own pace," She scolded them and they stopped to eat like famine kids, just like Holly did a few days ago after the Sorting Ceremony. When she wasn't starving, she ate like a normal person.

  
  


As soon as Holly finished her lunch and stood up, the first years mimicked her, even if they didn't finished their own meals yet. She couldn't help herself but chuckle with their eagerness. The first years followed her and some older Slytherins glanced questioning looks, but nobody tried to stop her. She also spotted Tom Riddle staring her, the only person in the table with a mischievous smirk, like he was the only person in the table capable of understanding some sort of internal joke.

  
  


In less than five minutes they found an empty classroom. It was easy, considering the afternoon classes didn't start yet. Holly let them inside and shut the door. Then, she proceeded to the middle of the classroom and made the required wand movements, while thinking about meeting her blood parents and marauders as teenagers, even if she was older, with hair all colored in white.

  
  


She felt her chest so warm and filled with hope that she cast it easily non-verbally. An elegant stag emerged from the tip of her wand and bounced in the air around the classroom. The kids shouted in surprise, some girls giggling, while Prongs showed himself proudly to them.

  
  


"Salazar's beard! You are the most awesome witch I known!!" Abraxas exclaimed without looking at her, too awed by the corporeal Patronus. The other kids also shouted exclamations and said how Holly was cool and 'the best'. They made her blush with their comments, while Prongs circled around the kids, strutting gracefully.

  
  


It seemed that Holly just discovered a place were she was truly welcomed inside her new House. It didn't matter to her they were just children, and she knew they weren't faking their admiration for her.

  
  


This was the first day after Holly crossed the Time Portal that she felt truly capable to change things for the best. Even if she wasn't able to stop Riddle from rising as Dark Lord, maybe she would be able to teach a thing or two for children if they saw her as a role model. Small changes are better than no changes at all. That was a great start.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Holly decided to spend the rest of the day inside her room to study the book Portier gave her, 'Time Magic for Dummies'. She will visit Diagon Alley tomorrow, so it will be good to see if she can find more information about places she may need to go besides Gringotts and Ollivanders.

  
  


As soon as she set foot inside Slytherin Common Room she was 'greeted' by Dolohov, Rosier and Lestrange. They apologized to her and she reinforced what she said to Tom earlier and they promised to do as she wanted. They seemed very tired, specially Dolohov, so Walburga Black was for sure using their help as much as she could.

  
  


While studying the information presented in 'Time Magic for Dummies', she kept an occasional conversation with Myrtle using the enchanted parchments, considering they both were occupied. She was studying at the library.

  
  


It was near dinner when she received another message from the Ravenclaw.

  
  


_**"Holly, you can't believe what just happened!"** _

  
  


_**"Tell me!"**_ Holly quickly answered back.

  
  


_**"Dolohov appeared here in the library just now and when he saw me, he apologized, just** _ _**like** _ _**you told me he should! And of course I didn't make easy for him,** _ _**following your recommendations** _ _**!"** _

  
  


Holly laughed in amusement with Myrtle's words. The ghost she knew from Hogwarts could be very mischievous when she wanted to, so her past-self just needed a small push and more confidence.

  
  


_**"Now I'm curious... What you did to him?"**_ Holly wrote down in the parchment.

  
  


_**"I told him that I would only believe in his apologies if he'd pinky swear to me in the muggle way...He** _ _**became** _ _**so red, I thought he would have a stroke! But he did it!! I can't believe I made a pure-blood purist pinky swear with me!"** _

  
  


Holly laughed so hard that her belly ached _ **."Girl, I wanna die your friend!"**_

  
  


_**"Me too! You're the one who made it happen!"** _

  
  


Holly kept her sporadic talk with Myrtle while planning more about her visit to Diagon Alley. She had to buy clothes, muggle clothes and other supplies, according how much she could expend. She made a list, testing for the first time the spell she learn from the Gatekeeper of the Time Portal, and thank Mother Magic the magical words were written inside the book he gave her, because she had totally forgot them.

  
  


* * *

  
  


The Astronomy class was late in the evening. The first day of it was being very carefree. After the usual talk about O.W.L.s, the professor just wanted to evaluate the knowledge of the students, so they could leave the classroom as soon as they finished a blank star chart. The fifth year of Astronomy was in majority a big review of the previous years, so the professor wanted to measure the average weakness and strenghtness of the students to plan his next classes.

  
  


The professor was in his desk if anyone have doubts and the students were gathering in big groups, most chatting than doing their task.

  
  


It seemed just Holly and Tom Riddle were focusing on finishing their charts. Holly sat near Tom and Lucretia Black, who was surrounded by the Slytherin girls and they were talking more about Astrology than Astronomy. It was funny in a way, she remembered that Lavender and Parvati frequently did the same, while she talked with Ron and Hermione.

  
  


"Hey, Holly, when is your birthday?" Lucretia suddenly asked her and when Holly looked at the group of girls, she saw them trading glances. She almost laughed, it was obvious they wanted to know her zodiac sign.

  
  


"July 31."

  
  


Lucretia lifted an eyebrow. "A Leo? I would never have guessed that."

  
  


Before Holly could answer, she heard Tom snorting through his nose. "Of course you are a Leo," He said without even looking at her, an amused grin tugging the corner of his lips. “The little lioness,” She couldn't help but chuckle at his statement, she knew he was still puzzled that she wasn't in Gryffindor. She opened her mouth to scold him about eavesdropping but someone spoke first.

  
  


"I can't believe you are a Leo considering how poorly you dress," Holly turned her head again to the group of the girls and saw Miranda Nott sneering at her. "But you are good in draw attention for yourself, aren't you?" Even Lucretia seemed surprised by her biting tone.

  
  


"Are you jealous that someone easily took the spotlight that you can't manage to achieve, Nott?" Tom answered quickly in Holly's defense, who was in lack of words. The blond girl huffed.

  
  


"And what about you, Riddle?" Miranda stared down at him with disgust. "Your prefect badge really stand out up your second-hand clothes," Her comment made Tom narrow his eyes. "You made so much effort licking the professors' boots to gain it?"

  
  


Tom inhaled deeply but before he could say anything, Lucretia intervened, visible nervous, trying to act like no discussion was happening in front of them. "I-I didn't ask when your birthday is Riddle. Can you tell me?" Her voice had a higher pitch than usual and it was obvious she was changing the subject to avoid their quarrel to prolong further.

  
  


Tom kept his gaze fixed on Miranda, an answer in the tip of his tongue, but then he glanced at Lucretia and said, reluctantly. "December 31."

  
  


"What a coincidence," Lucretia said with a fake smile. "You and Holly share the same day! What are the odds?" It was clear she didn't think before saying it, the regret flashed in her face almost instantly. "But one born at summer and the other at winter, like opposites," She added, trying to fix it but only making things worse. Holly knew Lucretia didn't want Riddle to have proximity with any of her roommates and pointing things they had in common wasn't a wise thing to do. It was obvious that Lucretia Black didn't work well with pressure.

  
  


Lucretia's statement made Tom furrow his brows, like in deep thought, what made the witch show a nervous smile to him. She was panicking.

  
  


Miranda scoffed. "How depressing it must be to have a birthday in the last day of the year... I bet no one even remember to send a greeting card to you," Miranda eyed him up and down. "I know you don't have friends," She opened a devilish smile and pointed with her chin the direction where the Slytherin boys gathered, far away from Tom. "They are only afraid of you, everybody knows that... and you also don't have a family, am I right?" Miranda said with a mocking pout. “Poor Tom, so lonely...”

  
  


Tom’s eyes darkened, his jaw clenching. Lucretia seemed paler, even the color of her lips faded. But it was Holly who replied, her nostrils flaring.

  
  


"Why are you being so cruel out of nothing?" Holly stood up on her desk, her teeth baring at the blonde girl. "It isn't good enough for you to be a pampered pureblood from a wealthy family, you also have to rub it against the faces of the ones who wasn't as fortunate as you?" Miranda just arched an eyebrow to her."You make me sick!"

  
  


Holly lost her temper and was fumming. To avoid things to get worse, she took her chart and left her desk to sit at an isolated spot, far away from the girls. Not a minute before Tom put his things in a desk across from hers. It took her by surprise that he had a concerned expression, his rage buried deep down inside of him. Holly tried to ignore his presence, scratching furiously on her chart, but Tom broke the silence. "You didn't have to be so worked upbecause of me," He said in a calm tone and then looked down his own chart, that was far more complete than hers.

  
  


"It’s not only about you!” Holly started, her face flushed in anger. “I trulyhate people like her! She is just like my muggle cousin, who had everything and wasn't ever satisfied!” She huffed out an angry breath. “Can you believe he always got lots of presents from his parents but complained anyway if he got lesser than the year before, while I didn't get even a greeting for my birthday and had to hide away from the visitors at Christmas?" She hissed, her eyebrows almost knitted together, her furious only building up. "He loved to show off his presents in front of me and he also had another room all for himself to keep his things while I slept inside a fucking cupboard!" She snapped. "I got my first birthday present when I was eleven! Eleven… and it was from the person who told me the truth about me being a witch and the death of my parents,"

  
  


Tom just stared her with raised eyebrows and widened eyes, surprised about the torrents of information she revealed to him. Holly felt her face hot and shame filling her up, just now noticing to whom she was opening up about her tormented past. "Sorry, I've said to much," She said shyly.

  
  


Tom blinked, still at a loss of words. "It's fine," He finally said. Then, reluctantly he brushed her hand with a finger. It was like he was about to hold her hand and that made Holly feel awkward so she recoiled it a little and averted his gaze. He took his hand away and coughed, trying to conceal his own embarrassment.

  
  


Tom spoke just a few seconds later in a teasingly tone. "And I thought my life was bad..." He drummed his fingers on the table, weighting his next words. He wanted to placate her anger but didn’t know how. He even forgot how pissed-off he was by Miranda Nott’s words. "The orphanage I live is a crappy place, but it didn't took me eleven years to receive a gift… The babies and small kids always receive gifts, donations, of course, but is better than nothing,” Holly stared up at him. At least he got her attention. He had to keep himself from smirking from her cute angry face. “Of course it's a 'privilege' we lost as we grow older. After six or seven, the toys are mostly shared. And because the muggles considered me a freak, the older kids frequently took my few possessions and the grown ups didn't even lift a finger in my behalf." Holly now showed a mixed expression of sadness and anger. She could relate to his story, he knew it. "So after I got better control of my magic I started to took things from the ones who annoyed me, and they were too scared to even rat me out."

  
  


"You stole from them?" Holly said more in a surprise tone than a condemning one. Tom nodded apprehensively, his cheeks tinged in pink. "I-I know how you feel," She quickly add. "I wanted to took things from my cousin too," She revealed with a whisper, even though nobody else was near to hear their talk. "He had hundreds of toys he didn't even use... Sometimes I took a thing or two away, but I always gave them back before my uncle and aunt discovered me… they always punished me for almost nothing, I couldn’t risk more than that." The witch opened a shy smirk to him for the first time in a while. Open up back to her made some effect at least.

  
  


"You are too soft," Tom pointed out. "My life got a way too easier after I started to hurt the kids who bullied me,” Holly furrowed her brows again with his statement, but he continued anyway. “They still fear and respect me, they aren’t so stupid to get in my way… Now I just need to wait until I come out of age so I can leave that shit hole. You should have shown your filthy cousin his own place."

  
  


Holly stared down at her chart again. Countless times she wanted to hurt the Dursleys pretty bad, they frequently let her sleep without dinner when strange things happened around her. And she was just a kid who couldn't fend for herself. But as much as she desired bad things happening to them, it wasn’t in her nature to act towards it.

  
  


"What aren't you telling me?" Tom asked, scribbling in his chart, trying to feign indifference. Holly bit the inside of her cheek.

  
  


"You already know too much," Her answer made him flash a grin. She had the impression it amused Tom when she antagonized him. Holly didn’t want him to think she was a saint. "Once I made by accident my uncle's sister inflate like a balloon and float high up in the sky," Tom breathed out a laugh.

  
  


"And what happened after that?" He asked with a mischievous grin.

  
  


"I ran away from home with all my things," She trailed off. It wasn't intentional, but it was a good way to put in her fake background. She ran away from home before attending the illegalwizarding school. She glanced up Tom after a moment and he was staring her like he wanted to know more about her story. "Sorry, I don't want to talk about it anymore."

  
  


They stayedsilent for a few minutes before Tom started to speak again.

  
  


"You know... I don't care about the things Nott just said to me," Tom statedwith an indifference Holly knew was fake. "She is only angry because of what happened to her brother yesterday."

  
  


"Her brother?" Holly parroted, she frowned in confusion, making Tom smirk. He was so boyish sometimes, even the Diary didn’t show this side to her.

  
  


"Dominic Nott."

  
  


"Oh." Holly stared down at her half-finished chart and then looked up at Tom again. "Are you going to hex her?" She asked sheepishly but with a reprimand tone. He opened a smile to her, but she couldn't decipher the gleam in his eyes. "You know... you pinned me against a wall for less than she did," She accused with a grin, in a playful way. He looked down at his chart, pressing his lips together, trying to hold back his smile to look more serious.

  
  


"Don't worry about it," A smirk tugged in the corner of his mouth again and he glanced up at her with a playful smile. "You are the only witch I want to pin against a wall."

  
  


Holly gaped at him and huffed out a breath, visibly offended, her face red as a strawberry. "Stop being so ridiculous, Riddle!" Tom let out a chuckle and focused again in his task to finish his star chart.

  
  


It was a sin he was so dangerous yet so charming. Lucky for Holly, she knew he was just acting and wouldn’t fell for it. It was better anyway to be in good terms with him than not. At least for now. Tom Riddle also could be irritatingly funny when he wasn’t a total prick. Deep inside, part of her hoped that they actually could turn into real friends in the future.

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'My' Cedric is the one of the movies, Robert Pattinson, i didn't use the description of the books.
> 
> Next chapter: A visit to Diagon Alley!


	12. The vault 00

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's visit Diagon Alley and meet the Slytherin Quidditch team? ;3

Saturday, September 5, 1942

  
  


  
  


"I feel so stupid," Holly declared with a sigh, frowning at her reflection in the mirror. She was using the best clothes she received from Dippet, fit enough for a pure-blood heir witch from the 40s. They weren't the epitome of elegance, but too fancy and feminine for Holly's taste, making her feel extremely uncomfortable with herself wearing them.

  
  


"Oh, stop being so dramatic, you look adorable!" Lucretia scolded her with a soft tone, staring the little witch's reflection with a smile. She was helping Holly to adjust the size of the clothes and also making few adjustments.

  
  


It was early in the morning, but Lucretia offered her help the night before, after Holly said she had urgent business to attend at Gringotts. To avoid gossips about favoritism or special privileges because the Headmaster was giving her permission to visit Diagon Alley today, Holly created the excuse she was incarcerated in an illegal school just until few days ago and just now she could claim her rights and ownership of her vault as heir Portier. It was easier to sound convincing with half-truths and Lucretia was polite enough to not ask further details about Holly's past.

  
  


Holly need to dress well to present herself for the Goblins as the heir Portier and had to avoid taking too many risks or drawing unwanted attention. She needed to be careful, as far as she knew, not all the Goblins were aware about Time Witches, even if Gringotts was considered a 'place of help' for Time-Travelers.

  
  


"Do you want me to do your make-up too?" Lucretia offered with a gentle smile.

  
  


"Oh no!" Holly scoffed. "Make-up is too much, I will feel like a clown!" She sighed exaggeratedly with a grimace, Lucretia staring her completely clueless about what a 'clown' could be. The tiny witch was felling utterly uneasy to dress girly as a pure-blood lady. Part of her was just too used to wear comfortable masculine clothes (she expended 11 years of her life using Dudley hand-me-outs, triple of her size), and the other part had too much of a low self-esteem to feel really beautiful while dressing so nicely. Holly felt insecure inside a pretty dress and totally out of place. She remembered to feel a little like that at the Yule ball, but Hermione was with her to offer support and Cedric's company also made her feel comfortable. Besides, everyone at the Yule ball was dressing formally, unlike today, making her an easy target to be bullied. Even though she experienced her quote of bullying or people mocking her in her life, it didn't mean she was trully used at it. She didn't care for people teasing her about her looks while she wasn't even trying, but being probably the only one who was dressing so formally at breakfast made her feel like an exposed nerve. It didn't matter some people called her 'pretty' or 'cute' sometimes, Holly always felt like an ugly duckling, her aunt Petunia worked very well in making her feel like the ugliest person walking on Earth and she only felt secure after accepting that it was better to feel comfortable and far away from people who judged others based on appearances.

  
  


Lucretia sighed in frustration, like she just knew exactly what was passing inside Holly's mind. "Listen, Holly, I don't know why you are so insecure, because you are adorable... But as a woman I understand pretty well that sometimes we don't feel on our prettiest days, but you need to act like you are feeling like a queen. Don't let people notice how unconfident you are about your looks, or they may use it as a weapon against you, specially the goblins, they can be nasty if they notice you are nervous! It's a big deal that you are going to reclaim an heirloom!" Lucretia gave the sermon while combing Holly's hair, trying to make it more tamed.

  
  


"There are days I also don't feel particularly pretty as well," Lucretia continued. "But you need to learn how to shield yourself and act like a queen," Lucretia raised an eyebrow at Holly's reflection in the mirror. " I thought it was a skill inherent of all girls in our House." Lucretia pointed out and Holly had the feeling her roommate had the same doubts as Tom Riddle about Holly being sorted in Slytherin.

  
  


Lucretia made Holly turn around to face her after she finished the last adjustments and stared deeply at her. "First of all, we must work on your posture. No matter how you feel, you need to straighten your back and walk with your head high. I think a good trick is to pretend you are using the clothes you are most comfortable with."

  
  


"Yeah, and if anyone make a bad comment, you just look down at them as if staring a disgusting insect," Harley Flint interjected, she was observing the two witches from her bed. "Besides, I must agree with Lucretia, you are looking pretty good in these clothes," She opened a mischievous grin. " You better avoid Walburga, if she sees you dressing so cute as a doll, you'll be her next Hogsmead project for sure!" The blonde girl said teasingly, making Lucretia stiffen a chuckle.

  
  


"Hogsmead project?" Holly asked hesitantly, glancing between the two witches.

  
  


"Don't worry about this," Walburga said reassuringly, tapping her shoulder. "Now, let's follow your schedule, we have little time to work in your body posture." Lucretia made a gesture to Holly walk in front of her. " Show me your confidence, girl!"

  
  


Holly took a deep breath and closed her eyes a few seconds, then she had the excellent idea to visualize herself in her Quidditch uniform. It was easy to feel proud and secure, the others acknowledged her for being a great player, not the 'Girl-who-lived' and she felt genuinely adored and admired when dressed for a match.

  
  


"Oh! It was far better than I expected!" Lucretia opened a smile while clapping her hands. " You just need to walk more graciously, but this will work for now! Don't let your shoulders drop or your head down in front of the Goblins!"

  
  


Lucretia gave Holly a few more tips about Diagon Alley and Gringotts, while they exited the dormitory and walked towards the Great Hall to eat breakfast. They crossed paths with Walburga and other seven year girls, and for her surprise, they dressed elegantly too, no matter it was so early in the day. The Headgirl beamed at her and made a nod in approval, with a strange gleam in her gray eyes. The other Slytherin girls also expressed their approval and greeted the tiny witch. Holly felt like a fraud. Lucretia squeezed her arms gently and Holly noticed she let her shoulder drop a little in front of the older girls.

  
  


Lucretia sat down at the breakfast table near Miranda Nott and Emily Carrow. Holly was going to sit next to Lucretia, but when she looked across the table her eyes met the gaze of Tom Riddle, who choked on his mug, making Holly feel extremely embarrassed. She didn't know if he was trying to mock her or if he was genuinely surprised by her looks, but she felt the urge to hide her face inside a hole on the ground, so she walked away from her classmates towards her spot with the first years. Lucretia said nothing while Dolohov gave small slaps on Tom's back.

  
  


Holly sat down besides Abraxas, who raised an impressed eyebrow at her. "You look magnificent today, Holly!" Malfoy said gallantly, trying to appear like a true gentleman, his cheeks tinged in pink. Abraxas was the cutest boy Holly ever saw in her life, it was very strange seeing a young Malfoy being so adorable. The two Slytherin girls sitting across from them, Melissa and Violet, giggled and greeted Holly warmly.

  
  


Holly greeted them back, smiling. She tried to be self conscious about her posture and she thought it could be a good chance to practice near people she felt comfortable with. As young and curious kids, they asked bluntly why she suddenly decided to dress well and she told them the same excuse she gave Lucretia, that she had urgent business to attend at Gringotts to claim her right as heir Portier and the Headmaster only let her do that because she was in captivity all this time. The girls traded worried glances but Holly reassured them that everything was fine now.

  
  


When Holly was about to finish breakfast, Tom sat by her side without ceremony. "Hello, Snow White princess, where are your other four dwarves?" He said with a teasing smile that widened even more when Holly glared at him. The three first years exchanged puzzled looks between themselves.

  
  


"You are so ridiculous, Riddle, I'll stop speaking with you," Holly scoffed, making Tom breath out a laugh, not believing a single word she just said. It crossed her mind to tease him about his tea this morning, but one of the girls spoke first.

  
  


"Snow White princess?" Melissa asked, trading a knowing glance with Violet.

  
  


Tom opened his mouth to answer, but Abraxas was quicker. "Since when does Holly has dwarves? I want to see them!" The boy declared innocently.

  
  


"It's a muggle fairy tale," Tom replied in an annoyed tone, like he was speaking with stupid people. Abraxas scrunched up his nose at the mention of muggles. "I doubt you heard about it," He turned his gaze again to Holly and was about to say something, but Melissa interjected.

  
  


"Why did you call Holly that? Why did you call her a princess?" She asked with a smirk, the other girl giggling. Holly thought at first it was just because she was near the kids, but she flushed when realized he could have other motives to call her that.

  
  


"Well, girls usually know better this story, but I will try to explain," Tom started, staring the small first years across the table. "Snow White princess had ebony hair, rose lips and skin as white as snow," He glanced Holly with a smirk, making her blush more. She shifted on her seat, about to protest, but Tom continued. "She ran away from an evil witch who ordered her murder and tries to kill her several times throughout the story, but the girl always survive. The evil witch is also her step-mother, who envied her beauty and made her dress badly," He was interrupted by Melissa again.

  
  


"So, is she beautiful?" The small girl asks with a grin tugging her lips. Violet by her side was pressing her lips together, trying to suppress a smile, staring at Holly with widen eyes and raised eyebrows.

  
  


Tom's eyes lingered into Holly's face for a moment and then he opened a charming smile to the first years. "Oh yes! She is the fairest beauty in the world!" The small girls exchange looks again, giggling. "And that's why the evil witch wants to kill her," Tom adds, before they interrupt him again. "Because she was the most beautiful one when Snow White princess was just a kid."

  
  


Holly was red as beet, glaring knives at Tom, but that seemed only to amuse him further. He was about to continue the story when Holly interrupted. "Lucky for us, Riddle, I don't think they are interest in muggle fairy tales."

  
  


Tom raise an eyebrow to her and when he opened his mouth to reply, Violet intervened. "No, no, no! Now I want to know everything about this Snow White Princess!" The small girl declared, making Holly huff and stand up.

  
  


"Well, I already know the story and I have other matters to attend today," Holly said with gritted teeth while adjusting the witch hat on her head. She wanted to murder Riddle for teasing her so badly. She'd preferred ten times he called her ugly or made fun of her looks than make her feel ashamed in front of the hatchlings.

  
  


"Actually, that's why I came here," Tom extended his arm and gave her a folded piece of paper. "Headmaster Dippet asked me to give this to you, is the password for his office," He stared at her stretching lazily in his seat. Then he turned his back to her dismissively so he could finish the fairy tale of the Snow White Princess.

  
  


_'Jerk!'_ Holly used every ounce of self control to not hex him and left the Great Hall fumming. How dare he plays like that with her?She was completely furious to be called 'Snow White Princess' in front of the first years by him and to make things worse, the stupid jerk found similarities with her own story and also dared to say Snow White princess is 'the fairest beauty of the world'. It enraged her more that Tom Riddle was tall, handsome, charming and was flirting so openly with Holly just to mock her plain features. Or he dares to think that Holly was going to believe on the sweet lies coming from his mouth?

  
  


Oh no, Holly won't fall for it twice. It was a good lesson when a similar thing happened on her second year with the Diary and how he wrapped her around his fingers with his sugar-coated words and the way he seemed to care about her problems, gaining all her trust.

  
  


She remembered how her heart leapt when the Slytherin Prefect materialized in front of her in the Chamber of Secrets, the same darkly-handsome boy she saw inside the Diary's memories. How could she suspect at that time he was Voldemort from fifth years on the past? Holly always felt so stupid when that memory come out to the surface of her mind, how Tom Riddle played with her, and how her voice faltered when she asked him to help Ginny. The bastard obviously noticed how she stared at him in awe, and how much Holly was mesmerized by his presence. Tom stalled her as much as he could and Ginny almost died because of it.

  
  


It doesn't happen everyday that your first crush unleash a Basilisk to murder you, so at least it was easier to recover from her broken heart. Learning that Tom Riddle was Voldemort, the same wizard responsible for killing her parents, also helped.

  
  


Well, the bastard was playing with her again, and the only difference is the fact that this Tom didn't kill anyone yet and knew nothing about his connection with Holly. Unfortunately, the son of a bitch knew how to be an enjoyable and captivating company, it was fun to be around him, even when trading barbs.

  
  


At least now Holly was prepared, knowing Tom was just player, trying to deceive her God knows why. Maybe it was just a game for him to spend his free time, but at least Holly can't be deceived by him anymore.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Holly stepped out of the fireplace inside the Leaky Cauldron. She used the floo inside the Headmaster's Office and Armando Dippet also gave her a scroll with his express authorization to leave the school grounds, if anyone requested it.

  
  


Her first stop was Gringotts. The witch held her breath and imagined herself inside her Gryffindor Quidditch uniform before walking inside the building. It was more crowded than she expected on a Saturday morning, but soon she picked up the brilliant colors of Time marks indicating a path to follow. They guided her towards an isolated desk occupied by a decrepit old goblin with a child at his side. It was the first time Holly saw goblins with so extremely opposite ages, one so young and other so ancient.

  
  


There wasn't a line to that table and she wouldn't have to wait to talk to them. The old one was snoring soundly and the kid was frowning at her. Holly stared back at the young goblin, imagining herself ostentating a Captain badge. She lifted her chin and put her palm on the table, the Portier ring visible in her finger.

  
  


"It seems I arrived precisely at the time I meant to," Holly declared in a firm voice, making the kid widen his eyes. He jabbed the elderly goblin with his elbow, making him awake startled. The old goblin sneered at Holly and she repeated the phrase again, using a more demanding tone.

  
  


The ancient goblin had a reaction similar as the kid, he stared Holly a few seconds in awe, his mouth gaping. He suddenly stood up, showing an energy Holly never thought a creature so old would have. "I am Harr and this is Birrl, my apprentice," He made a gesture to the kid and both of them made a court bow at Holly. " He is training to be the next one to attend the Portier's vault. It's quite a long time since it was last opened... Please, follow us, milady."

  
  


They entered a room that seemed only for 'goblin staff' and took an elevator that descended deeply inside the ground. When they arrived, Holly saw a vault with the numbers inscripted in a way that remembered a lemniscate. It was the vault 00, a large magic circle was drawn on the floor in front of it.

  
  


"You must proceed alone from now on, milady," The old goblin said to Holly. "Put the hand holding the Portier ring on the surface of the vault door. You must answer whatever it asks you with out loud."

  
  


Holly nodded in understanding and entered the magic circle. It glowed as soon as she set her foot on it, privacy spells and enchantments being set up at the same time ancient magic scanned her body. The Portier ring felt warm on her skin when she followed Harr's instructions. A phrase written in golden light appeared in front of her. _'Who are you and when did you born, new heir Portier?'_. Holly inhaled deeply. "I am Holly Lily Potter, born July 31, 1980." A whirlwind formed inside the circle as soon as she finished her sentence, her body engulfed by it. The witch covered her face to protect her eyes, in reflex, but the wind stopped as suddenly as it started and when the witch opened her eyes again she was inside a small white room, filled only with a table where laid an old book and a scroll half-opened.

  
  


Holly came closer the table and opened the scroll, peaking the contents, she noticed it contained instructions and rules about her money, properties, how to proceed when inside the vault, among other things. The first thing she had to do was to write her new name on the book, as heir Portier. She carefully opened it, the book filled with blank pages, remembering her about a certain Diary.

  
  


A red quill materialized in front of her and somehow she knew it was a Blood-quill, even though it was bigger and looked fancier than the one Umbridge forced her to use. Holly took it in her hand and wrote 'Holly Lily Portier' carefully on the book. The red lines of the letters were written with her own blood but she felt no pain at all while using the quill. She set it down and the book closed itself and sunk inside the table. Holly felt a strange buzz in the air and a tingle spreading in her body, a signal of a magical bound being sealed.

  
  


A new door appeared on the wall in front of her, but before she could open it, the parchment closed itself and levitated in front of her. It was her first new possession from the vault and Holly knew she had to carry it and read carefully.

  
  


She entered the door and at first sight, the vault 00 was much more alike to a museum than her old vault in Gringotts. It had not only the place containing her money, but also ancient artifacts, books and relics. Holly new she was richer than any Malfoy or a Black, not only because the small mountains of gold, galleons and jewels, but specially because of the treasures with immeasurable value that the vault held. She felt herself in alarm, no matter how hard or difficult her mission could be, it was questionable that the access to all of that wealthy wouldn't have come with a price to pay. She was passive to fail on her mission and felt it was unlikely that Time would trust a teenager with so many valuable possessions, money and power.

  
  


Holly opened the scroll to read thoroughly before adventuring herself further inside the Portier vault, proving her suspicions right. It was like uncle Ben wisely said to Peter Parker once: 'with great power comes great responsibility'.

  
  


Holly learned that even though she had the right to expend a good amount of money as a 'payment' for all the things she sacrificed coming back into the past, she also had lots of limitations and conditions to access most of the vault resources.

  
  


First of all, Holly couldn't sell, trade or give away any of the Portier’s properties, no matter if was a terrain, a house or a book. She also couldn't freed, kill or risk the life of any House-elves or creatures bound to the House Portier. The right to use the vault is intransferable, so if Holly marry or have kids someday, they won't be able to enter or use the vault, because it was a permission only Time entities and true guardians could give. All Portier's properties outside the vault are already being managed by somebody, the new heirs can visit it or use some of its resources, but the last word is from the creature in charge of it. This was made to prevent a person who doesn't understand some business in ruining everything and all the work made since ancient times. Some of its properties are like temples or sanctuaries, essential to preserve and hold lots of secrets.

  
  


Holly's knowledgement about the Portier's secrets and access to objects and resources inside the vault or other properties are limited only by her mastery on Time Magic. 'Time gives and Time takes', the more she wants to learn and understand, the more she will have to sacrifice of her life to study, and as deeper as the vault goes, it turns into being more and more dangerous.

  
  


Holly is free and encouraged to have a separate vault on her own name, because anything she store inside the vault 00 will become a Portier's exclusive property. She is also free to use money beyond the original amount offered as her own, as long as she pays back the exceeding amount eventually. It happens because theoretically, she need access to anything necessary to guarantee the success of her mission. Time also recognizes the true value of things and actions, so she not necessary has to pay with money as only currency, but also contributing with Time in various different ways.

  
  


Some relics, not only Time-related, are displayed behind protected glasses and she is free to observe them with her current knowledge. Inside the library sheis allowed to make magical copies of the books, because the originals must remain inside the vault. To do a copy she only needs to tap the wanted books with her wand. She got a Portier heirloom for her personal use, a folder where she can store the copies made inside the vault or any other book outside of it. The folder has lots of protection charms and spells. Basically it can't be stole away from Holly and she can store inside of it any kind of written manuscript or document, like books, journals or magazines. It doesn't have a number that restricts the quantity or weight of it and anything she store will shrink and disappear inside of it, only the title of it will appear on a catalogue. To take away anything she wants, she just needs to speak the title out loud or tap it with her wand.

  
  


Holly puts some random copies of books inside the folder to test its functionalities. The books indeed disappeared inside of it, the title appearing on a list inside the folder. The book selected would pop-up in front of her. She also could search a book by its author name or content. It was like carrying a compacted mini-library around, Hermione would love it!

  
  


The witch explored a little more the library and noticed the books inside the Portier vault weren't limited to just Time-Magic or Time-Travel. There was lots of books about Magic History, Ancient Artifacts, Lost civilizations, a few journals and biographies (some of the from Time-Travelers) and also a 'restricted session' of its own, that Holly couldn't access yet.

  
  


Unfortunately, she couldn't spend all her day inside the vault and the library had too many books to make copies of everything, so Holly took some copies related to Time-magic, Time Travel, magical artifacts and random journals and biographies from other Time-travelers (it seemed a good idea to learn from their experiences, being successes or mistakes), books about potions or potion ingredients and random books that picked her interest somehow. The catalogue arranged on its own, but she could rearrange it by herself if she wanted. She loved the magical item and intended to use it a lot inside of Hogwarts, it was practical and very useful.

  
  


Holly headed towards the mounts of gold and precious gems. Near it she saw a notebook containing detailed information about the properties and assets she had in the Portier's name, so she made a copy of it and put inside her magic folder. Holly took a considerable amount of galleons, not just to expend at Diagon Alley today but also for future emergencies. She made a test with her new folder and it couldn't store money, so she put most of it inside her satchel enchanted with extension charms, and some in the inner pockets of her clothes.

  
  


It was a small fortune, but she needed to buy lots of things, not only for herself, and one item Holly planned to buy for Hagrid could be particularly expensive, she had no clue.

  
  


The witch left the vault 00 and as soon as she put her foot outside the magic circle in front of it, she heard the voice of the young goblin.

  
  


"Is everything alright, Lady Portier?" Birrl asked with a frown.

  
  


"Uh?" Holly was confused with his question.

  
  


"You just went inside and is already out," The young goblin declared with a deeper frown, making the old one chuckle in amusement.

  
  


"Time doesn't pass inside the Portier's vault, Birrl," Harr explained to the kid, patting gently his head. "Shall we come back now, milady?" He asked politely to Holly and she understood he was giving her another chance to come back inside if she wanted to explore the vault further, if she was unaware about some of the vault's characteristics.

  
  


If Holly knew that information previously, she would expend more time searching the library, but she got more than enough things to work for now and thought it was better leave. The witch still had a long and busy day ahead and it wouldn't be wise to exhaust herself too much.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Holly left Gringotts and gone straight to Ollivanders. Inside the wand shop she saw a man on the balcony who was maybe in his thirties or forties.

  
  


"May I help you?" The man asked politely. "It's rare to see a client at your age so early on a Saturday," He declared with a friendly smile. It took Holly a few seconds to recognize the younger features of Garrick Ollivander on his face.

  
  


"I arrived precisely at the time I meant to," The witch answered and saw a glint of recognition in his eyes. She lift her hand so he could see the Portier ring. "I am Holly Portier, the Headmaster Dippet told me he send an owl to you about my visit."

  
  


"Oh yes! I was eager to meet you," He nodded his head a few times with a widen smile. "This situation never happened to me before, only with my great-grandfather," He whispered to her with a conspiratorial tone, despite the fact that they were alone in the store. "Please, show me the wand you carry, if it doesn't have a double yet, it will be easier for me to find a new one for you after seeing how yours was made of."

  
  


Holly took her wand from inside her sleeves and put it on the table. Ollivander's expression darkened a little but then it suddenly vanished into a smile. "Oh, I made this one myself and have it in storage... a very picky wand, if I may say," He turned his head up to stare at her, his eyes had a mysterious gleam. "I can't believe this is happening," He declared excitedly. "Your wand is very special, little girl... in this store I have not only the wands I made, but also my father's and some made by my grandfather... but from the few wands using a phoenix core that I possess, I only had one pair sharing the same core." He stood up to search the wand on the drawers behind the balcony. "Twin wands!! What are the odds?" He breathed out a laugh. "I thought this wand would be sold by my kids or my grandkids," He suddenly stopped to talk and stared Holly with a puzzled expression. "Oh, that actually could be the case," He trailed of, seeming in deep thought.

  
  


Wandshops, like some banks, where places of help for Time Travelers, so Garrick knew Holly was one, and she felt relieved with him expressing his thoughts out loud but not making questions, because it never crossed her mind to lie about her wand being sold by other person that not himself. The less other people know, the better and if he asked direct questions, she would have to lie or keep quiet. Holly had a soft heart and didn't plan to alert other people about a dangerous Dark Lord who was still a minor who even finished his O.W.L.s. Nobody would believe her either, even if she tried this approach.

  
  


The Wandmaker put an ornate box in front of Holly and opened it, her wand was next to it on the table. Ollivander stared up at her, expectantly. She took the younger version of her old wand and waved.

  
  


Gold cascades came out from its tip and Holly heard a snap sound that made her jump in surprise. Her old wand cracked in the middle and vanished in front of her. When she look up to Garrick Ollivander, he look like he was about to cry from happiness.

  
  


"W-what happened to my old wand, sir?" Holly asked with a shaken voice.

  
  


"Doubles are flickery, I think. I kinda expected it would happen," He didn't seem to be bothered about a wand disappearing in front of him, but excited about experiencing everything with his own eyes. "Do you know I remember the details about every wand I ever sold?" Ollivander changed the subject, making Holly feel nervous because she already knew the path the conversation was taking. She shook her head hesitantly in response, lying. "If you are in Hogwarts, there is a possibility that you already met the person who has the twin of your wand... Do you know Tom Riddle?"

  
  


Holly swallowed a lump inside her throat and felt her mouth dry. "Y-yes. He is my classmate, actually."

  
  


Garrick face dropped. "What? You have the same age as him? I though you were younger," He talked the last part more to himself and ignored the glare Holly shot to him. "People possessing twin wands are a rare event to occur, and the core of your wands are very uncommon, considering how hard is to obtain Phoenix feathers... You two must have a deep connection," He stared pensive at her. Holly tried to blank her expression but he must have thought about the possibility Holly already knew Tom Riddle from the future. "Well, I don't know if he is a relative of yours or not, but I would avoid battle against him in DADA classes or whatever. Twin wands don't like to fight against each other and it can be quite an event to witness."

  
  


"What else can you say about twin wands, sir?" Holly asked hesitantly and the wandmaker raised his eyebrows in surprise for her interest about the matter.

  
  


"Well," He scratched his chin, gathering his thoughts before answering her. "As a rare occurrence, I can't say I know everything about it... but Twin Wands have a similar behavior of siblings, no matter how opposite they may be or even if the owners don't get along, they can fight, but never inflict mortal wounds against each other and can be nearly unbeatable when joining forces," Holly widened her eyes in surprise with the last piece of information. "Siblings are stronger when teaming up and sometimes their connection is so strong that they feel when the other is in a pinch and things like that." Garrick Ollivanders breathed out a laugh, like remembering something. "It's funny that your name is Holly because I used holly to make your wand, but I think you already know that," He waved his hand in the air. "I must confess I was little concerned that a wand made of yew chose a young kid as its master, but it isn't a wand that chooses a mediocre owner, so it wouldn't surprise me to know Tom Riddle is a formidable student."

  
  


"Oh yes, that jerk is a model student," Holly huffed, rolling her eyes. "And he is also Prefect," She said with a sneer, remembering Tom peacocking himself the first day he met her.

  
  


Ollivanders stared at her, a little confused at first with the spite on her voice, then he chuckled, his eyes had a mysterious gleam. "I'm glad you are classmates, I hope you two find balance in each other. Your wands have strong opposite features, but also complement well each other, it will be good to neutralize some negative aspects while potentializing your best features. I dare to say you two can learn a lot together and understand very well each other."

  
  


Holly let his words simmer a little inside her mind and gave him a timid smile. She paid him for the wand and left the shop.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Holly bought some comfortable clothes for her, ingredients for potions and took pamphlets from lots of stores in Diagon Alley, thanking Mother Magic for the fact that in 1942 they already made owl deliveries. She also bought a flask of potion she knew was very effective against pimples for Myrtle. It was a little expensive but she wanted to help her friend as much as she could and Holly knew how much Myrtle suffered with this problem. After a while Holly's mind filled with thoughts about a certain tall and handsome Slytherin prefect.

  
  


It was strange to be on familiar terms with Tom Riddle these past few days. His magic was already powerful for someone on his age and he can be a real jerk, but he is also so boyish and immature sometimes that is strange to know about his potential to be a genocidal dark wizard. It is difficult to see his face and don't recall about the Diary that proclaimed itself as 'Voldemort', the name of the monster responsible to make her life so miserable. It was hard for Holly to disassociate the Tom Riddle who still deserved the benefit of doubt, from the Diary responsible of Myrtle's death and Hagrid being expelled.

  
  


Yesterday Tom just confessed about stealing toys from kids who bullied him and Holly wondered about what made Tom set a basilisk into someone, committing his first murder at such young age. The Voldemort of her time was an old wizard and she knew he was responsible to kill his own father, but she had no idea when that happened or how she could avoid him from doing this. The Tom Riddle she was currently knowing better was smart, sane and still seemed to believe his father was a wizard, not a pure-blood, while Voldemort hated his muggle father, was crazy and did desperate things to keep himself alive. Did so much dark magic turned his mind into mush? Did the last straw was discovering his father was a mere muggle? Did he planned on kill Myrtle since the beginning or it was just an unfortunate incident that made him lost his sanity little by little and just turning things worse and darker for him?

  
  


Holly asked herself if this Tom Riddle was already planning to change his identity to a new name, Lord Voldemort, or if it was something he did only to hide his muggle origins.

  
  


Holly was conscious about how dangerous could be to be so close of him or be entrapping in his alluring charms, but at the same time it was difficult to not relate when knowing they both shared lots of similarities and the fact he was an orphan like her and grew up in poverty, being mistreated by muggles and treated like a freak. A crucial difference about them was that Tom decided to oppress his oppressors and not only fought back, but made them fear and respect him. Was this truly the wrong course of action, considering he had no one to protect him? In a way, Holly was admiring Tom, because he was a true survivor. He was poor and alone, if he lowered his head, he would be chewed alive by both muggle and wizarding society.

  
  


If Holly wasn't the famous 'Girl-who-lived' would she be able to gain the friends and supporters she had when arrived at Hogwarts? She also had her inheritance, being the heir of a wealthy wizarding family. If Holly had nothing, like Tom, how would be her life with the Dursleys or inside Hogwarts?

  
  


Neville was a pure-blood from a rich family and his parents were war heroes too, but he was pretty unpopular. If Holly wasn't the responsible for Voldemort's fall, she would probably be invisible or bullied just like Neville Longbottom was, or maybe worse.

  
  


Lots of people just approached Holly at first because she was famous. Ron, Hermione and Draco only greeted her because they recognized who she was by her scar. Cedric only noticed her better because her name was put inside the Goblet of Fire so her blood could be used to bring Voldemort back and after that she would be killed. Holly only started to date the Hufflepuff because she helped him on the first task and after that they grew closer to each other. If Holly was a nobody, no way anyone would spare a second glance at her.

  
  


Hagrid, Lupin, Sirius and Snape were close to her just because they knew her parents. If she arrived at Hogwarts completely alone, would she turned out 'bad' just like Voldemort did? Because the truth was she hated the Dursleys and almost all the muggles she met before Hogwarts. What if she was rejected in a place where she was supposed to be welcomed, just like happened with Tom? It astonished her how easy she could now see the situation with his eyes. It was harder each day to find a place inside her heart where she could truly hate Tom Riddle, even knowing his potential to raise as a Dark Wizard.

  
  


Holly was lost in though and just after a few minutes she realized she was staring a classy set of Wizard Chess displayed in a store. The witch grinned with herself, remembering that until she met Ron, she always thought only smart villains played chest. _'I can bet a thousand Galleons that prat would love it.'_

  
  


When she came out to her senses, Holly was outside the store with a new set of Wizard Chess that she planned to give as a present to Riddle at Christmas or on his birthday. Then she felt like a psycho to buy something so anticipated for someone she wasn't even close with. Well, she planned to buy something for Hagrid's birthday at December 6, but she also planned to be his friend anyway and the gift she intend to give to him was an urgent necessity in a way. She didn't know if was a thing easy to buy or if she would have to manufacture with her own hands.

  
  


Holly, Ron and Hermione loved the stories of Newt Scamander, the author of 'Fantastic Beasts and where to find them' and the fact he kept lots of dangerous creatures inside a suitcase equipped with lots of charms to put the animals inside their own environment, having a small world inside of it. They knew Newt was an eccentric genius and he probably customized most of it by himself. They only discussed the idea to give something like it as a present to Hagrid at their fifth year, considering how much he loved extremely dangerous creatures, but lots of things happened and the idea was totally forgotten. Holly hoped she could buy it in a magic store, she loved extension charms, but at the extension she wanted to use was much above her current level of knowledge and Aragog had to be put in a safe place as much as any other creature Hagrid wants to create as a pet if she can save his neck from being expelled from Hogwarts.

  
  


Holly entered a shop to buy herself a broom. Yes, she decided to participate the tryouts for the Slytherin team she saw at the bulletin board in the common room. She was aware of the importance of her mission, but after lots of deep thinking she decided she had the right to have a hobby of her own to release some steam. Holly was already suffering for the longing of the people she lost, why deprive herself from flying? And she loved Quidditch!

  
  


She ended up choosing a Comet 190. The Cleansweep had the fastest brooms at that time, but the Comet was a model that gave more control over its movements, far better for a seeker who loved to make crazy maneuvers like Holly.

  
  


'Magical Menagerie' was her last stop before coming back to Hogwarts by Floo. She had to see if they sold trunks with extension charms like Newt Scamander's and she wanted to buy a pet for Myrtle.

  
  


In one of their conversations, the Ravenclaw told her she always wanted a pet but her parents didn't have much extra money to spend, specially in the middle of a war. A special license was needed to create Kneazles, but not needed for half-kneazles like Hermione's Crookshanks. He was very smart and half-kneazles inherited lots of useful traits from their kneazle descendancy, like the ability to find menaces or judge people's character. Holly couldn't protect Myrtle inside Ravenclaw and her friend often felt lonely and sad, so a fluffy pet that could also be a guardian was the best choice for a her friend.

  
  


Holly found the perfect match for Myrtle easier than she expected. It was a young male half-kneazle, tabby gray fur and green eyes. He seemed very intimidating and had a piercing glare, but lots of small kittens were playing around him, so he was for sure a brooding sweetheart. He had the size of a common cat, but she knew he would still grow more.

  
  


"I have a friend that need a loyal companion to watch her back. Do you want to meet her?" The half-kneazle narrowed his eyes at Holly and shook the tip of his tail. Then it stretched lazily and jumped from his spot. She felt the animal rubbing his body on her calves and then he jumped on the counter, looking at her direction, a signal he was just waiting for her to finish her shopping. She asked the vendor to prepare food and traits for him and a box to transport the animal.

  
  


Holly asked about a trunk or a suitcase where she could raise plants or creatures, because she wanted to give as a present for a relative who is a Magizoologist. If the vendor noticed the last part was a lie, he didn't show it on his face.

  
  


Luckily, they sold some trunk models there, but the client choose how to customized the objects and the price would vary according with the charms or protections needed. Holly wanted a very secure trunk with at least five extensioned rooms with different types of environment and the possibility for the owner to expand it further if he wanted and she also asked for a shrink charm if the owner wanted to hide it. The trunk ended up having the price of a small house and they would deliver it to Holly in a week or two, by owl. It was worth every knut for Hagrid's happiness and the safety of the people surrounding him. At her original timeline, Hagrid was expelled from Hogwarts accused to be the responsible for possessing the monster that killed Myrtle. Well, Aragog was indeed innocent from the murder but it didn't change the fact that Acromantulas are dangerous creatures and even if Holly get rid of the Basilisk inside the chamber, that doesn't take off the risk of Aragog attacking someone else, or whatever other creature Hagrid want to keep as a pet in the foreseen future.

  
  


_**"I have a surprise for you, meet me outside the Headmaster's office. I'm coming back soon."**_ Holly wrote in the enchanted parchment she shared with Myrtle, after paying the vendor.

  
  


Holly put all her purchases inside her satchel besides two exceptions – her new broom and Myrtle's future pet, that she was carrying inside the pet box. And Holly didn't have to walk all the way back to the Leaky Cauldron because they let her use the floo in 'Magical Menagerie'.

  
  


Myrtle cried with joy when Holly gave her the half-kneazle, naming him 'Mr Darcy'. Holly laughed with her choice, she remembered how much her ghost friend liked 'Pride and Prejudice' from Jane Austen. Holly never read it, but was familiar with the plot and characters. Myrtle thanked Holly for the potion to treat her pimples, her face wet with tears when she hugged the tiny witch.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Holly was heading towards the dungeons, desperate to change her fancy clothes for more comfortable ones when she crossed paths with some sixth year boys from her House. Winky Crocket opened a widen smile at the witch, seeing her new broom.

  
  


"Are you going to do the tryouts this afternoon, Portier?" The Captain asked, admiring the Comet 190 Holly was carrying. It was the newest model from that year and the other boys were also almost drooling over the broom.

  
  


Holly felt a heavy hand on her shoulder and when she looked up at its owner it was Alphard Black, a wolfish grin plastered on his face and his gray eyes had an intense glint. "Hey, Portier, I don't know if you are dating someone, but you must quidDITCH him and give me a chance, cause I'm totally a Keeper,"

  
  


Holly opened her mouth to answer but she had no idea about what to say. Crocket pulled Black away from her by the ear, frowning. "Sorry, Portier, a Bludger hit him really hard on the head when he was a kid!" The Captain shoved Black away, the dark-haired boy barked out a laugh, making Holly snort thinking how boys acted so stupidly sometimes.

  
  


"It's fine, he is just fooling around..." Holly said with a shrug, staring up the Captain. " I hope there is a vacant position for Seeker!" She said to the tall blonde with a shy smile. She couldn't hide the happiness she felt that Crocket seemed welcoming about her doing the tryouts.

  
  


"Actually yes! We are in need for a Seeker and a Chaser. I hope you are good, it's been a while since we had a girl on our team." Crocked sound sincere. "But I must alert you the tryouts will be intense today, so just appear on the pitch if you are really good!" Crocket said bluntly, with a small grin.

  
  


Holly assured she would participate and they parted on their ways. When the witch set foot inside the common room, she heard Dolohov's loud voice. "Is this a comet 190?" She blinked and when opened her eyes, Dolohov was already in front of her to see her broom closely. Holly frowned at him and then she remembered he was part of the team. It would be better to be in good therms with him so she didn't shove him away.

  
  


"Yes, I bought it after my visit at Gringotts," Holly was almost certain that everybody in Slytherin probably was aware about her visit to Diagon Alley and why she had the right to do so. "I'm gonna do the tryouts today, already spoke with Crocket," She said with a smirk.

  
  


"Cool, I'm a Beater, are you going to steal my position?" He said teasingly with a fake concerned expression. Beaters were usually more bulky and had a stronger build, the last thing Holly could be with her tiny body.

  
  


"A-ha, you are so funny," Holly said flatly. "I will try for Seeker," She declared and Dolohov raised his eyebrows in admiration.

  
  


"Seeker is very disputed even when the position is already filled. I'm sure it will be crowded today, almost everybody want to be one... Well, I'm curious to see how good you are on a broom." It was strange Dolohov being so friendly towards her after everything that happened. Holly noticed Walburga observing them from distance, it was also strange to feel watched and protected inside the snake pit. "Just don't expect me to take easy on the tryouts today because you are a girl, okay?"

  
  


"Uh?" Holly stared confused at him for a moment and he suppressed a chuckle.

  
  


"Oh, you'll see later, is going to be wicked!" Dolohov had a malicious gleam in his eyes and Holly had a bad feeling about it, at the same time she was curious about how Crocket would select the people for the team. She observed him sat down on the table near Lestrange and Riddle, who looked awfully bored hearing the Quidditch conversation.

  
  


Inside the dorm, she changed her clothes into new ones. She put comfortable muggle clothes more fit for a boy than a girl. Walburga would probably be scandalized, but Holly could give an excuse for today, because she couldn't use skirt for the Quidditch tryouts. Holly braided her long hair in twin braids because it was easier to keep it well behaved for more time.

  
  


And the tiny witch was completely right about Walburga, when she arrived at the Great Hall to eat lunch, Walburga glared icicles at her and her boyish outfit. The other seven year girls sneered when she passed near them, but when Holly sat down near the first years she was welcomed and the girls giggled and praised that Holly was cute even dressing as a boy. Malfoy seemed to disagree a little, his eyebrows furrowed a little, but he held his tongue and made no critical comment, instead he asked how was her visit to Diagon Alley and if she got any problems to find her path. Holly enjoyed her conversation with the hatchlings, feeling strangely at peace on the Slytherin table, being accepted for who she was no matter if she was using skirt or trousers.

  
  


* * *

  
  


It turns out Dolohov's hunch was accurate, there was 15 people or more trying to enter the team, but what surprised Holly for real was the absence of girls, she was the only exception. And the worst of all was the fact that even with some second years competing, she was the smallest one of them. The second years and some third years observed her with neutral expressions, but the ones above the fourth year sneered at her, like she was disgusting, obviously trying to intimidate her into giving up. Besides Holly, Rosier was the only one from the fifth year, and he chose to ignore her, too afraid to be hostile in public after the incident that happened on the common room, involving him, Dolohov, Lestrange and Nott.

  
  


Holly glanced at the stands, also relatively full of people and had students from the other houses even though the tryouts happening were just for the Slytherin team. She smiled and waved back at Myrtle sitting on the Ravenclaw stands, near the boys of her House and Holly's face flushed a little when Chang waved at her too. She opened a shy smile at him, not knowing if he waved at her by accident, thinking she was waving at him, not Myrtle. When Holly looked at the Slytherin stands, Tom had his eyebrows almost knitted together glaring at the Ravenclaws' direction. Lucretia opened a supportive smirk at her and Walburga was staring mostly at the third year boys in the pitch. The other girls were giggling while pointing at the most good-looking boys. All first years waved excitedly at Holly, calling her name out loud. She opened a large smile back at them, her face red as a tomato, feeling the glares of some boys who would be competing with her, pissed that she had a cheering team. Hagrid joined the choir, mimicking the first years of her house while receiving disapproving glances from his Housemates on the Gryffindor stands.

  
  


Winky Crocket gave a loud blast on his whistle to draw the attention of the competitors. He was using his Quidditch uniform with the Captain badge pinned on it. The current team had only five players, Winky Crocket, Ivan Dolohov, Alphard Black and two others she didn't know, but what really caught her attention was all of the team holding bats while in Quidditch they only use two beaters.

  
  


"Oh, there's too many of you wanting to be part of our team and just two vacant places," Crocket started with his voice full of fake pity. "We only need one Seeker and one Chaser and we don't have all day for the tryouts, right?" He shrugged and glanced to his teammates, who opened vicious smiles full of teeth. "The rules are simple – you will all be flying inside the pitch while at the same time we will try to knock you out from your brooms. But to make things more interesting I will release FIVE Bludgers and the Snitch. Everything will end in ten minutes unless for the one who catch the Snitch, who will be our new Seeker. If no one catch the Snitch in these ten minutes, we will make a round two with the 'survivors'," The team was chuckling behind the Captain, seeing the fear stamped on the face of most Slytherins. Crocket pointed his hand towards the Head of the House who was near them, on the grounds. "Professor Slughorn will attend for the injured, so don't worry," He blew the whistle. "Let's begin!"

  
  


Holly flew up on her broom thinking how Slytherins were actually insane, at the same time she felt crazy at the same amount, because her heart was pounding with excitement in her rib cage, not fear.

  
  


The first one to fall was Rosier, receiving a Bludger straight into his chest by the hands of Dolohov.

  
  


"Sorry, pal!" Dolohov shout with a wolfish grin, not sounding sorry at all. At the first minute five people fell from their brooms. Holly noticed the ones who waved the bats with more precision and strength were Dolohov and the Captain, followed by Alphard Black. The other ones were more lean and weak, more worried about keeping their balance on the broom than hitting their targets, while avoiding the Bludgers. The Gryffindors celebrated out loud each time a Slytherin was hit, but the Slytherin team wasn't so different and it was like Ivan, Winky and Alphard were counting their 'scores'.

  
  


Holly dodged a Bludger send straight to her broom by Alphard. He winked at her with a charming grin and when she was about to made some snarky comment, her sixth sense buzzed up and she deflected her broom upwards. The Captain hit a Bludger just behind her and would have slammed fully on her back if she stayed a second more where she was. But Winky didn't missed at all and other one took the bullet on Holly's place. The Slytherins played dirty and were ruthless, even among 'friends'.

  
  


Alphard was the one who was targeting Holly more, followed by Winky, but while Alphard aimed more towards her broom, Crocket wasn't so merciful and didn't care about Holly being a girl at all. They weren't just targeting her, however, but everyone they could. Dolohov was knocking down mostly the biggest boys while the Captain had a more surgical precision and was better with smaller targets. Alphard was strong too, but he wasn't focused as Ivan or Winky, hitting one of his teammates by accident straight on the nose. They didn't stopped because of that.

  
  


The Quidditch pitch was like an insane battlefield, now with four Beaters and five Bludgers. Holly hadn't much time to think and she was still adapting to her new broom, that was slower than her first broom, the Nimbus 2000, but for Holly's surprise, it wasn't an abysmal difference. It was slightly more uncomfortable and she had to use more physical strength to make maneuvers or suddenly change directions.

  
  


Holly heard some worried gasps coming from the Slytherin stands at the same time a Bludger almost scrapped her ear. They though she was hit when she descended towards the ground, almost in the vertical, at full speed, after she spotted the Golden snitch. She gave a gracious spin in the air to dodge a Bludger sent in her direction, noticing she was being followed by a second year, who also spotted the small ball. She speed up more in an insane dive while extending her arm. She closed her grasp on the winged ball, feeling the grass of the ground brushing the back of her fingers, she pulled her broom up on the last second, almost crashing into the ground.

  
  


She heard lots of gasps and people calling excitedly her name, not only from her House stands. It was a beautiful catch and Holly knew it, she lifted up her hand in the air, hearing clapping hands and celebration screams. Another Bludger came straight into her direction but it was easily intercepted by Dolohov's bat, colliding fully with a broom high up on the air.

  
  


"Portier is our new Seeker, but you still need to survive the remain time!" He shouted to the other four boys still flying, without sparing a glance at Holly. With five Bludgers and fewer people to be hit, they had to be focused entirely on the game. Holly landed on the ground, panting and sweating. Professor Slughorn tapped her back in approval and offered her some water. She downed the glass, thirsty and waved to the people calling her name, the first year Slytherins were hugging themselves while screaming, but the funny thing was Walburga also cheering for Holly with her attention divided to a boy who was still flying, probably a relative of hers, because Lucretia had a similar worried expression. Tom Riddle opened a smirk at her, clapping his hands and she felt her face hotter, not only for the physical exertion.

  
  


Crocket blew the whistle, indicating the end of the ten minutes. Only two boys remained on their brooms, one of them was hit by a Bludger twice but didn't fall. Holly widened her eyes after observing them better, the tallest of them was a second year and also a perfect copy of Gregory Goyle. Another fun fact was the Goyle of her time had the same name of his grandfather and she only learned it after his name was spoken out loud. The other one was Orion Black, he had the same piercing eyes of Sirius, but his hair was unlike his, way too short and curly.

  
  


Crocket announced the results. Holly Portier was the new Seeker and Orion Black, 3rd year, was the new Chaser, Alphard proudly tapping the back of his younger cousin with a smile on his face. The captain also announced Gregory Goyle and Neil Lament as reserves. The latter was Goyle's classmate and fell just few seconds before the end of the time and was the boy who spotted the Snitch after Holly. Both boys shook hands between themselves and opened widen smiles at Holly, Orion only nodding politely at her direction with a timid smirk, he was way more reserved than Alphard or Sirius.

  
  


Holly had a warm welcoming from the team, specially from Alphard Black and Ivan Dolohov, and was introduced to the other two, both of them chasers on the 7th year, Leon Parkinson and Galahad Prince. The latter was abnormally lean and tall. He had chestnut hair and blue eyes, but some of his features reminded her about her old potions mentor. Everybody shook hands with her and praised her reflexes, speed and the crazy dive she gave to caught the Snitch.

  
  


When Holly approached the stand of her House she was drowned by the hatchlings, the girls hugging her excitedly. Holly had to contain a laugh when Walburga 'intervened' the reception of the first years to embrace her while giving her a sermon about being so careless and mad for a small girl, angry and proud at the same time that Holly was the one who managed to be the new Seeker. Lucretia gave a hug on her as soon as Walburga released her.

  
  


"You almost gave me a heart attack, Holly!" Lucretia confessed with a scowl. Holly had to contain a laugh when she saw the expression of disappointment on Orion's face when Walburga just praised him coldly for getting the Chaser position, not even touching him. She knew they would be Sirius' parents someday, and it wasn't strange just because they married being cousins, but because Orion already seemed to have an obvious crush on Walburga.

  
  


Tom Riddle was sitting next to Rosier, who looked cross at Dolohov, feeling betrayed. Tom only gave a shy smirk at her.

  
  


Holly waved at Myrtle and Hagrid from far, shrugging in an apologetic way to them, because she was being 'held hostage' by the people of her house and couldn't go near them for now. Some of the Gryffindors had a frown on their faces, and Holly felt it might be because they recognized her as a threat for the first match on the next month.

  
  


They all gone to Slytherin common room to celebrate the results and Holly followed after them. At first she planned to visit the Chamber of Secrets today at nightfall, but she was depleted of energy and too tired to face a Basilisk. It was invigorating, though, that Slytherin wasn't so bad as she expected. At least for now.

(Or why Harry wasn't sorted into Ravenclaw, trying to catch letters in the air while the floor is full of them :D)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How about visiting the Chamber of Secrets on the next chapter? :o
> 
> It took a little longer than I expected to finish this chapter because it was long and I was also working on the first chapter of my Fem Snape x Sirius story. Please check it later! <3 
> 
> [The Animagus' Bride](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25884748/chapters/62899237)
> 
> I made lots of drawings but only posted a few because I think I need to get better and train more. But I plan to post more drawings on Tumblr, even if they are not finished.
> 
> [Follow me on Tumblr](https://chausiemorgan.tumblr.com/)
> 
> The last time I checked for errors I didn't read so carefully, so I hope it doesn't have many screaming failures. :p (I wrote 'Crinket' once, merging Winky with Crocket in the craziest way, wtf brain!)
> 
> I hope you all stay safe and healthy! And thanks for your support and sweet comments, I love to read them and they make my day really better! <3


	13. Holly Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Parseltongue indicator: «" "» 
> 
> Enjoy! :3

Sunday, September 6, 1942

  
  


  
  


Holly planned to expend her afternoon inside the Slytherin Common Room, studying on a desk near the windows, where she had a good view of the Black Lake, spotting fishes and other aquatic creatures here and there. Abraxas, Violet and Melissa joined her just a few minutes after she sat there.

  
  


Holly was scribbling some notes with her fountain pen, drawing the curiosity of the hatchlings, Malfoy scrunched up his nose at the Gryffindor colors her pen had. The first years were studying too, so they had their materials with them. Holly offered to transform their quills and ink pots into a fountain pens. The girls beamed at the idea but Abraxas was a little apprehensive about writing with something so 'mugglish'. He ended up deciding to give a chance to it, though.

  
  


Violet's fountain pen was... violet, of course, with small flower patterns (violets, again). Melissa chose the colors of the rainbow for hers and Malfoy wanted his to be fancy, in royal blue color and golden details.

  
  


Holly and Abraxas focused on their study activities and the two girls at first did the same, but after a while they got bored and asked Holly to comb and braid her hair and she reluctantly accepted. It was a usual habit she observed among the Slytherins but she found it a little strange, only seeing Lavender and Parvati doing the same thing inside the Gryffindor dormitories, never on the Common Room.

  
  


Sometimes it was like she was inside a beauty salon and the most funny thing was to see Dolohov, Lestrange and Rosier helping the girls (as their punishment for being extremely rude towards Holly, who was a Slytherin lady, thank you very much). They held mirrors in front of them and Holly saw once Dolohov painting Walburga's nails but she shoved him off for being too clumsy.

  
  


So there was Holly, thorn between studying or relaxing by the hands of the first years, one at each side of her, playing with Holly's hair, taking their time to comb, braid and unbraid it, testing what was the best to do with her unruly dark locks. Abraxas didn't pay much attention to them, concentrated on his own potions homework.

  
  


"I can just order the potion I want with my money, why bother learning how to make it?" He huffed, making Holly snorts. Abraxas' grandson, Draco, loved to brew potions and was always competing with Holly and Hermione to be the first one in classes. Apparently it wasn't a talent that ran into his family, Abraxas seemed to hate each line of the book he was reading. Holly helped him a little, while Violet and Melissa gossiped between themselves.

  
  


After a while Holly's ears perked up by Violet's voice. "Is he looking?" Holly heard the girl say behind her.

  
  


"Of course he is looking," Melissa had a smile in her voice. "Stop staring!" She scolded the other girl with a hiss. " He will notice we know about it!"

  
  


"Boys are soooo obvious!" Violet said. "He is soo into Holly!" Melissa elbowed the other girl and both of them giggled.

  
  


"W-what?" Holly lifted her head a little to observe the other students far away from them and discover about whom they were talking about. "What do you mean? Who is interest on me?" The tiny witch asked with a frown.

  
  


"Riddle, of course!" Melissa said with a sigh, not believing how dense Holly could be. " He peeps into this direction every five minutes!"

  
  


Holly scoffed. "Maybe he wants to see the Giant Squid or something, it was very close of the windows this morning!"

  
  


"The only thing he wants to see is you, silly!" Melissa declared knowingly. "There is no Giant Squid at the breakfast table as far as I know."

  
  


"He also called you a princess and he was at the Quidditch tryouts. I heard the older girls saying he hates Quidditch."

  
  


Holly rolled her eyes with their declarations about Tom. Violet was redoing her braid, having some trouble to tame Holly's locks, while Melissa was decorating her side with small flowers.

  
  


"Riddle is very handsome," Continued Violet. "It's a pity he is so poor and also a mud—muggleborn." She correct herself, aware of Holly's hate towards the 'm' word. Holly bit the insides of her cheek, fully aware about Tom Riddle's true heritage, his mother being a descendant of Salazar Slytherin herself and his father a muggle. Not that she cared about blood purity, but she despised the fact Tom suffered prejudice because of this, just like her friend Hermione and other half-bloods she knew.

  
  


"Well, I think Holly can marry someone rich and keep Riddle as a lover," Melissa bluntly said, for Holly's horror, who could only gap at the little girl's sudden comment.

  
  


Abraxas snorted. "That would be a scandal!" He said with a smirk, his eyes still glued to the page he was reading, not so absorbed by his studies as he appeared to be.

  
  


"Oh my gosh!" Holly blurted out. "You are all eleven! You don't even know what a lover is!"

  
  


Melissa shrugged. "My aunt said is someone more younger and vivid than a boring husband. She also said men are all the same, so if you can choose, is better to to marry an old or sick wealthy man so you can enjoy all his fortune after he dies and keep as many lovers as you wish."

  
  


"That's a terrible advice!" Holly gasped, not only by the fact the girls were too young for this type of conversation, but mostly because they talked like it was a casual thing to do, playing with other people's heart, being so unfaithful with them.

  
  


Abraxas chuckled. "Your auntie have quite interesting opinions about life."

  
  


"My aunt married three times, she must know what she is saying."

  
  


"I don't think so. If her advice about men were so good, she wouldn't have to marry more than once." Malfoy pointed out.

  
  


"Hm. I never considered it." Melissa stated with indifference. "Do you already have any suitor in mind, Holly?"

  
  


"Uh?" Holly felt disoriented with the sudden change of topic.

  
  


"Who will you marry after you graduate?" Violet asked.

  
  


"No one!" Holly scoffed. "I'm too young to think about it!"

  
  


"Yes, but you are also the sole heir of your family's fortune." Abraxas looked up for the first time after he started his studying session. "If you spread the word about it, it will rain marriage proposals for you."

  
  


"You don't even know if my family is really that rich," Holly countered.

  
  


Abraxas flashed a haughty smirk and arched an eyebrow. "If you bought the best broom at the market, it's a sign you have a very comfortable situation. I doubt you are the type of person who would spend all their money in a single artifact. Besides, you are an heir from a family that nobody knows of, but has a vault at Gringotts," He continued. "You fool nobody. I don't even doubt that some people are trying to discover more registers about the Portier Family to sell information. Lots of wizarding families loves to discover an apparently deceased family line resurrecting from the ashes."

  
  


Holly sighed. "I had no idea this would be a problem to me." The last thing she wanted in her life was to draw attention about her origins. "I think I'll need to scatter at the wind the information that I have no full access to my vaults." Abraxas raised a questioning eyebrow at her statement, his expression thorn between confusion and curiosity. Holly proceeded. "If I marry someone, this person won't be able to access my vault. It's a blood thing," Holly lied about the last part, trying to make it sound more convincing. "And if I want to access more of it, I must study a lot about the family's secrets. It is true that I have a few properties, but they are self-sufficient and I can't intervene with them at all.

  
  


Abraxas widened his eyes. "Blimey! Is The Portier family a family of guardians?" Holly's surprised expression was enough to confirm his statement. "That's so cool!" He opened a smile. "It's pretty rare nowadays... well, then I think it's good you are not interested in marriage, because it will be hard for you to find a candidate to marry. Families of guardians usually are complicated and rich people don't like to get involved on any of this because it can be very risky. You will be actually very lucky if you find someone who wants to share your burden. Sorry." He hastily apologized after Holly glared at him.

  
  


Holly felt relieved by this last piece of information yet a little bothered by how easily the table turned against her. She never had lots of thoughts about marriage, not that she didn't want to find someone, like her parents found each other, but she was used to be more concerned about ending the year alive. Just because she was more used to be lonely, it doesn't meant she liked it.

  
  


The girls giggled behind her. "So, it's not a problem if Riddle wants you," Melissa spoke in a conspiratorial tone. Holly was about to argue, but Abraxas cut her off with a serious expression.

  
  


"Yes it is a problem!" He glanced up at Melissa and Violet, then his eyes stopped at Holly's. Abraxas looked concerned. "Don't get involved with him, Holly, he is dangerous," The first year girls didn't seem surprised with his accusations. Holly felt her throat dry. "I've heard loads of strange stories about him," He said the last part almost like a whisper, Violet and Melissa leaned down a little.

  
  


"We heard a few things too," Declared Melissa in a whisper, sitting down besides Holly but still playing with her dark hair. Violet mimicked the action of her friend.

  
  


"What did you heard?" Abraxas asked, his blue eyes filled with curiosity.

  
  


"It was Harley Flint who told us this," It was Violet who spoke, after exchanging a glance with her friend. "He is gorgeous and smart, but very poor, so he will empty our pockets and leave us with crushed hearts."

  
  


Holly snorted and Malfoy facepalmed himself, like they couldn't be talking seriously. But they were.

  
  


"He is more dangerous than that!" Malfoy hissed. "People said to me his magic is extremely strong and unstable. When he is angered he loses control and people can get hurt." Abraxas made a pause, calculating his next words. "The better course of action is to treat him respectfully without getting too close. And you shall be careful Holly, I agree with Violet and Melissa when they said he is interested on you."

  
  


Holly felt a flush on her face. "People are interested on me because I'm the new transfer student with a mysterious past. He is only as curious as everyone else and will be bored in a matter of few days or weeks." Holly ran her gaze into each one of them. "I can take care of myself, but I agree it's not good to displease him, he can be a totally jerk." She opened a smile to the hatchlings. "But you can always count on me if he mistreats any of you!"

  
  


Holly actually disagreed with Malfoy's statement about Tom Riddle losing control. In her opinion it was quite the opposite, his magic was strong and he had absolute control of it, no matter how young he was. But she didn't correct the hatchlings, it was better in a way for them to fear Tom and be cautious around him. She didn't want him to be ostracized, despite the fact he has all the potential to become a Dark Wizard. That's why she was the one who would assume the risk to bring him into the light. She didn't feel Tom was actually that bad as she first thought. He was dangerous, undoubtedly, but at the same time, being like that was his only defense against the world. Maybe he just need to be feel accepted by someone and as each day passed, Holly was almost sure she was the perfect match as a friend for him. She was a freak even among wizards and had to hide lots of things from the others. She was lucky to have people who always accepted her, even when they were scared of her abilities. People like Hermione, professor Snape and Sirius Black, her godfather. People with fickle hearts like Ron didn't count, no matter how much she considered him as a friend. Ron showed his true face at her thanks to the Triwizard Tournament and was very hard to forgot how much she suffered from it.

  
  


A height will lift Holly's shoulders as soon as she get rid of the basilisk. After that, she will have to keep a close watch on Tom Riddle. Maybe he just need someone to support him when he uncovers more the truth about his family. It was probably a shock for Voldemort to discover his father was a muggle like all the people he despised since he was a small kid. Holly understood Tom very well in this aspect, she was mistreated by muggles a lot in her entire life and knew how cruel they could be with people who were so different from them.

  
  


Holly shifted her attention into helping Abraxas with his homework while the girls were testing new styles of braids in her hair. The witch was distracted when Walburga Black appeared in front of their desk.

  
  


"Did you gave this to Lucretia?" Walburga put on the table the fountain pen Holly gave to her roommate, who was also Walburga's cousin.

  
  


"Y-yes," Holly felt nervous for a moment, thinking Walburga was going to complain with her about giving muggle things to Lucretia. She noticed the gaze of the tall seventh year falling into Abraxas' fountain pen.

  
  


"Can you do one for me too? How much do you want?" Walburga was asking a favor, but her tone was demanding. Holly was caught by surprise and only gaped at her. Walburga sighed and put in front of Holly a fancy quill and an expensive ink pot. She wouldn't accept 'no' as an answer.

  
  


Holly opened a shy smirk to her. "Just tell me how you want it, it will be a gift from me." It was genuine for her. She knew Walburga didn't appreciate the way Holly dressed, but she showed some gentleness a few times and Holly was grateful for that.

  
  


Walburga beamed, her smile was stunning. She asked Holly a silver pen with black tiny roses and the tiny witch gladly transfigured one. Walburga thanked Holly and walked away from their desk, leaving her alone again with the three hatchlings.

  
  


In less than an hour two Seventh year ladies appeared near Holly to ask the same type of 'muggle pen' as Walburga had. Holly looked up at them with a frown. None of them ever talked with her before and seemed displeased by her mere presence. Holly didn't like them and didn't want to make them a favor for free.

  
  


"It will cost 20 galleons each." Holly set up a price she thought it was absurd for a pen to make the girls lose interest or any other person who knows about it. For her, it was a polite way to shove them away without creating direct conflicts.

  
  


Both girls stared Holly in silence for a moment, then they exchanged glances between themselves. They took their purses and put the requested amount of galleons in front of the dark-haired witch.

  
  


Holly widened her eyes in disbelief and had no option besides accepting the money, transfigurating their materials into fountain pens.

  
  


The girls left and Holly sighed in relief, thinking the girls probably just bought the pens out of pride. As soon as more people knew she was asking an exorbitant price, nobody would ask her to do them anymore.

  
  


Holly was never so wrong in her entire life.

  
  


Few other girls from the other years asked transfigured fountain pens for her too, but Holly didn't expect all the Quidditch team to do the same! Orion Black was the one who 'sponsored' a pen for each one inside the team. He asked his to be "pure black", so even the tip had a black color.

  
  


Alphard showed Holly a picture of the Hydra constellation and asked her to make the Alphard star a little brighter and so she did. It had the color of the night sky and the stars twinkled like real ones. Holly made this effect by accident but ended up better than she expected. Alphard was bewitched by the perfection of it. The other boys kept it simple and their fountain pens were more 'Quidditch-related'. Holly felt bad for charging the pens, but Orion Black insisted on it. She didn't accepted a bonus though, and Orion didn't say out loud that seeing Walburga's beautiful smile had no price for him.

  
  


Holly was beginning to feel tired about doing so many pens and when Miranda Nott dared to ask her one too, so she set the price at 50 galleons. Her classmate huffed but paid anyway and Holly almost cursed under her breath. Abraxas Malfoy was enjoying watching the situation, he could see clearly through Holly about her trouble in saying 'no' to people.

  
  


"I created a monster," Holly stated dryly, after more people willingly gave her 50 galleons. She made a profit she didn't anticipated that afternoon inside the common room, maybe was a thing that run in the Potter's blood, because her grandfather made tons of money thanks to the Sleekeazy Hair Potion he invented.

  
  


Holly observed some students trying to reproduce a functional fountain pen like hers, all of them failing miserably. Tom Riddle was the one who had the better results, making a quill able to hold an ink reservatory, but the ink started to bleed after constant use. It wasn't an easy task to do, she had to study a lot to understand the technology behind how different fountain pens worked. If it was easy she would teach them to avoid being bothered by their requests.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Holly decided to drink the Felix Felicis a little before nightfall and not just when she was about to open the Chamber of Secrets. She couldn't risk to be caught before it.

  
  


Holly drank a little less than half of the vial, the amount was enough to give her around four hours of luck. She felt extremely inspired and with the sensation she could even conquer the world if she wanted.

  
  


_'Voldemort will be destroyed today.'_ Holly thought with herself and never felt so sure about something in her life.

  
  


As soon as she set foot outside her room, Dolohov was there, about to enter in the boys' dormitory.

  
  


"Dolohov?" Holly called to draw his attention and he turned to face her. "Do you know were I can find Chang today?"

  
  


"Uh?" Ivan raised an eyebrow at her. "He is probably training at the Quidditch pitch right now, the Ravenclaws reserved it for today. What do you want with him?" He crossed his arms and frowned, oddly looking like an over-protective big brother.

  
  


"He put a note inside my bag and I only noticed now... He wanted to discuss something important with me." The lie came out easily as a breath. She played with a lock of her hair observing Dolohov's frown deepens.

  
  


"Hey, you better not consort with the enemy!" Ivan scolded pointing a finger at her, and she was sure his rivalry was pending more on the way of Quidditch, Chang was a Chaser after all.

  
  


"He's not my enemy!" Holly declared with a playful grin. "And I'm not 'consorting' with anyone," She gave a step at his direction and lowered her tone a little. "Maybe he wants to talk about Myrtle or something class-related."

  
  


"Of course." Dolohov scoffed and then opened a devilish smirk. "Anyway, if he displeases you somehow I'll be more than happy to hit him straight in the face with a Bludger!" Ivan pat her on the shoulder and entered his room. Holly giggled with his genuine change of behavior towards her, aware it was thanks to her position on the team as the new Seeker.

  
  


After leaving the common room Holly didn't walk straight into the bathroom on the second floor but towards the fields outside the castle. Most of the students were heading to the Great Hall for dinner and Holly didn't crossed paths with any Slytherins.

  
  


She found herself at the area where they kept creatures for classes, near the enclosure of giant Jackalopes. It was the first time she saw them, they were rabbits with antelope horns, but this specific breed had the size of an adult pig.

  
  


Holly spotted one of them laying on the ground in a strange position and she came closer to inspect.

  
  


It was dead, but still warm, so it was recent. The Jackalope seemed young and well nourished, she had no idea about the cause of death just inspecting the body. Holly took her wand to scan it and discovered its heart had small deformations. The poor animal probably born with a heart condition and today was the day its big body decided to gave away.

  
  


Holly transformed the corpse into a big fur ball, putting it inside a net bag she conjured non-verbally.

The tiny witch walked towards the castle following a longer path until she reached the bathroom on the second-floor to open the Chamber of Secrets.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Holly was inside the Chamber at the same place she met Tom Riddle for the first time, when she was only twelve. She close her eyes for a moment and the memory came fresh into her mind, the words the Diary used to call the basilisk from inside the giant statue of Salazar Slytherin.

  
  


_«"Speak to me, Slytherin, greatest of the Hogwarts Four!"»_ The statue opened its mouth wide but took a while until she heard something stirring inside of it.

  
  


_«"Who wakes me up from my slumber?"»_ A voice hissed slowly.

  
  


_«"That depends on you,"»_ Holly said with an arrogant intonation. _«"I can be your nemesis or your new master!"»_

  
  


Holly heard a rumbling sound from inside the statue. _«"You must be very brave or very fool to speak to me like that."»_ The creature replied.

  
  


_«"Careful. "»_ Holly warned. _«"I've killed a basilisk before, I'm not afraid of you."»_

  
  


Holly observed the basilisk's snout appearing from inside the stone, the forked tongue sliding out to taste her scent in the air. The witch didn't try to shut her eyes closed, the Felix knew it wasn't necessary. The basilisk slithered out the rest of its body from the statue, lazily. Its eyes had a strange milky blue color, like it was blind. The monster kept a safe distance from her while analyzing her scent. She observed the creature in silence.

  
  


_«"You are not from the bloodline of my former master, but I can feel faintly that your body was tainted once with a powerful venom just like mine. How did you survived it?"»_ The basilisk asked calmly. _«"I also sense the smell of a delicious prey. Is it for me?"»_

  
  


_«"Only if you behave."»_ Holly took the fur ball from the net bag and placed it on the floor, making a gesture with her wand to revert it back to its original state – the corpse of a Jackalope. She cast a non-verbal _Engorgio_ , making it tripling in size. _«"I'll give it to you only if you accept me as your new master. If you want to take it by force, I'll reduce it into ashes alongside you."»_

  
  


The giant creature made a rumbling sound again and Holly had the feeling it was the way the basilisk laughed. _«"I have no interest into fighting a Parselmouth after being lonely for countless seasons... and I'm starving,"»_ Its mouth opened in anticipation. _«"My master is deceased, but he made strong compelling charms on me so I may never attack any descent of his own and must obey them if they are worthy. You are no descent of his, but you found me here and you are a Parselmouth. After all these centuries no heir of him claimed me and I was completely forgotten in this place, alone and only able to feed myself with tiny rats that are never enough to sate me, it's maddening!"»_ The giant snake slammed its tail furiously on the ground. _«"I may agree to have you as my new master if you fulfill my conditions, but be aware I don't now if my loyalties will be absolute if an heir of Salazar appears in front of me. You can kill me if you wish, I'd rather prefer a quick death than the endless torture I've been enduring all this time."»_

  
  


_«" What conditions?"»_ Holly asked softly, taking pity on the animal. She never stopped to consider its side in the story until now, she only saw it as a dangerous monster hidden inside the school.

  
  


_«"I don't want to be alone here all by myself and I want to be fed with bigger prey regularly. When my master was alive he brought me deers and goats. I have to hibernate most of the time to not starve to death." »_

  
  


_«"I had no idea of your suffering."»_ Holly said sincerely.

  
  


_«"I think Salazar expected too much of his lineage. Nobody was capable of finding me after all these years."»_ The animal huffed out a large breath, like a snort. _«"The only person able to find his Chamber is completely unrelated to him."»_

  
  


Holly paused for a moment, considering her next words. _«"I'm still a student and I won't be able to visit you everyday. I also have no idea about how to bring you a deer or a goat, I can't hunt around here."»_

  
  


_«"Yet you brought something delicious today. Are you always full of excuses?" »_ The basilisk opened its huge mouth to expose its fangs, recoiling its head on a fight stance, like preparing to pounce at her at any second.

  
  


Holly didn't move an inch and didn't feel intimidated by the basilisk's dangerous posture. _«"I've got lucky this time. How am I supposed to feed you everyday? You are huge!"»_

  
  


_«"I don't eat everyday,"»_ The giant snake declared, appearing to be more calmer seeing Holly maintaining her composure. _«"I'm like my smaller cousins and it take some time for me to digest what I eat, specially if its big. If I needed food everyday I would be deceased for a long time, witch."»_

  
  


_«"It would be easier to feed you if you were smaller,"»_ Holly pointed out more to herself, knowing it would be an impossible task to cast a Shrinking Charm on a magic-resistant creature like a basilisk. _«"I can try to visit you every two weeks or so, but I can't guarantee to bring you deers or goats. I can cast Engorgio on some rats for you on my way out, though. But if you let me become your master, I promise I will think about a solution to take you out of this place and I'll do everything in my power to make you safe."»_

  
  


The basilisk tasted the air again and took a little while to answer the small witch. _«"Deal."»_

  
  


_«"How do we proceed to make things... official?"»_

  
  


_«"My former master never truly cared about me, he only saw me as a 'thing' he had_ _control_ _over. It was easy to make compelling charms on me when I was just a hatchling,"»_ The creature spat, voice full of resentment. _«"So he never named me, it's a bond we never had. If you give me a name, as times passes by our bond can overcome the strenght of the blood of Salazar's lineage. You'll also need to tell me yours and I'll swear my loyalty to you from now on."»_

  
  


Holly hummed and moved closer to the giant snake. The animal sensed her proximity and recoiled its head defensively.

  
  


_«"How about Jade?"»_ Holly offered after examining the animal thoroughly. She read in a book that male basilisks had a a single scarlet plume on its head. The basilisk in front of her had none.

  
  


_«"Why Jade?"»_ The creature asked with a curious tone.

  
  


_«"Jade is a precious stone with a beautiful green color just like yours. Your scales are beautiful and seems to be very sturdy. You also stands out in this place all carved in gray stones."»_

  
  


_«"I liked it. How shall I call my new master?"»_

  
  


_«"I'm Holly Lily Potter. You can call me 'Holly' or any other way you prefer."»_

  
  


The basilisk made a vow to the witch and she levitated the engorged Jackalope near it. The huge creature stretched out its powerful jaws and swallowed the corpse at a slow pace, like common snakes use to do. Holly touched Jade's torso and pet its scales waiting until it was free to speak again.

  
  


_«"What happened to your eyes?"»_ Holly asked, watching the big lump moving down slowly inside the basilisk. She was curious about what happened to Jade, it wasn't supposed to be blind.

  
  


_«"I'm about to shed my skin. My eyes will be normal again in two or three days and I will recover my sight."»_

  
  


_«"I can't risk you petrifying someone, "»_ Holly made a wand gesture near Jade's milky eyes and nothing apparently changed. _«" I made a glamour on your eyes and they'll be looking like this even after your shedding. You'll be able to see normally though you can't petrify anything with your gaze for now on."»_

  
  


_«"You don't need to worry about it, I can't petrify my Master."»_ Jade said after rumbling amused.

  
  


_«"I'm not worried about me."»_ Holly replied sincerely, thinking about Tom Riddle, the heir Slytherin, and how Myrtle Warren died under the basilisk's gaze at her original timeline.

  
  


Holly kept company to Jade for almost 3 hours, giving a little of the attention and affection the poor creature deserved after all these long years forgotten alone inside the Chamber of Salazar Slytherin. They talked a lot about everything, the dangerous basilisk was more intelligent and sensitive than Holly would ever imagined. She questioned Jade about the animals she ate to understand better its preferences and Holly revealed a little about her childhood and how the phoenix tears saved her from the poison of the basilisk she killed, but she didn't revealed it was Jade's future-self or the fact she was a Time Traveler, the lucky potion refrained her from doing that when the idea to spill some secrets crossed her mind.

  
  


Before coming back to the bathroom on the second floor, Holly engorged some rats she spotted in the way for Jade to hunt after finishing to digest the giant Jackalope. She felt a little sad for the little animals, of course, but the basilisk had to eat just like her owl Hedwig had too.

  
  


It was a risky thing to keep a basilisk alive with Tom Riddle still attending Hogwarts, but Jade was more like a hostage than a vicious monster and it was a completely different thing to kill a creature that didn't try to harm her and was suffering after many long years locked inside a place that didn't give it enough amount of food. When Holly was twelve, her life was threatened by Voldemort's tamed 'pet' and she was so scared that she never tried to speak with it. In a way the Felix Felicis made a better choice and now Holly had to make new plans accordingly. Her conscious was untainted at least.

  
  


* * *

  
  


Before leaving the bathroom, Holly concealed with a glamour the snake in the sink indicating the Chamber's entrance. The Lucky Potion was still guiding her steps, so instead of coming back to the Dungeons, she walked up the stairs until she found herself at the top of a spiral staircase in the west side of the castle on the fifth floor, near the entrance of the Ravenclaw Tower.

  
  


"Portier?" Holly heard a male voice calling her, making her turn on her heels.

  
  


"Chang!" Holly opened a smile at the Ravenclaw Prefect in his fully attire, making him flush a little.

  
  


"What are you doing here? Looking for Warren?" He asked like a Good Samaritan, always willing to help.

  
  


"Oh no!" Holly made a dismissive gesture. "Myrtle is an early bird and is probably sleeping by now. I was just exploring the castle."

  
  


"I can keep you company, if you wish, I'm on patrol duty now." Chang made the offer with a friendly smile.

  
  


"Oh, that would be wonderful!" Holly said with a disposition she didn't feel. She barely knew him and preferred to explore the castle alone, but Felix wanted the boy by her side.

  
  


He gave her a small tour at the place near the entrance of his common room and after a while they started to speak about Quidditch, Chang saying how surprised he was with her skills at the trials, praising her reflexes, making her remember Cedric not just for the fact they mostly spoke about Quidditch, but also because Cho Chang was her rival at getting Cedric's affections. Holly stopped paying attention on the things he was saying, bored with the conversation yet smirking and nodding like she was actually interested in whatever he was saying. Her mind was actually wondering if the Chang in front of her was Cho Chang's grandfather or if he was just a distant relative.

  
  


Suddenly she felt an imposing presence very familiar to her and turned back to stare at Tom Riddle. He was near the staircases, the Grey Lady floating by his side. Chang stopped to talk and followed Holly's gaze.

  
  


"Holly," Tom said her name with a familiarity they never had. It sounded so natural coming out of his lips, like he was very used to call her that constantly. She hold back a grin, he was a very good actor indeed. "It's almost past curfew, I was looking for you." He opened a warm smile towards her but his eyes were cold.

  
  


"Don't worry about it, Riddle," Chang said friendly. "I can walk her back into the Dungeons later."

  
  


Holly noticed Tom Riddle clenching his jaw and taking a deep breath before answering the Ravenclaw Prefect. "I had no idea your first name was 'Holly', Chang." Tom glanced him like an annoying insect he wanted to slap.

  
  


"Oh Tom," Holly called him teasingly. "There's no need to be so rude!" Her scolding tone had a pinch of playfulness that Liu Chang didn't noticed, unlike Riddle. "I'm sorry for it." She whispered apologetically to Chang, putting a hand on his forearm while wishing him a good night. Tom's eyes followed her gesture with a dangerous glint. Holly suppressed her urge to smirk and walked calmly in his direction. Holly loved to bully the dragon.

  
  


"How did you find me all the way here?" Holly asked with an accusatory tone.

  
  


"Ivan said you were looking for Chang. Why? Did I interrupt something?" Tom asked nonchalantly. His innocent expression didn't fool Holly at all.

  
  


"Oh no, we were only talking about Quidditch. You have no need to be jealous of him." Felix made her very bold, and Gryffindor was her original House. Tom stared her back in disbelief from her blunt statement, his defenses disarmed for a moment.

  
  


"Jealous? Me?" Tom huffed out a breath. "Why would I be jealous of him? I'm better than him in everything." He declared with puffed chest. So boyish.

  
  


"Even in Quidditch?" Holly teased. Chang was the best Chaser in the Ravenclaw Team.

  
  


"You can't be serious, Holly!" Tom scoffed. "I'm better at things that matters, I don't give a damn about Quidditch!" He arched an eyebrow at her. Holly knew he was provoking but she didn't take the bait.

  
  


"Why were you on the tryouts then, Tom?" She asked playing with a lock of her dark hair, fluttering her eyelashes at him in an exaggerating manner. Tom opened a grin, noticing she was only pushing his buttons.

  
  


"Don't flatter yourself, Holly, I just wanted to see chaos," Riddle turned his head up and smiled at the Grey Lady. "Thanks for your help, Helena, see you around."

  
  


The Grey Lady nodded at him with a knowing look on her face after observing the two Slytherins and floated away.

  
  


"Is her name Helena?" Holly asked, baffled. "I had no idea!"

  
  


"Yes," Tom says with a confident smirk. "She is Helena Ravenclaw, daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw."

  
  


Holly gaped at him, making Tom open a smug smirk. "How did you discovered that?"

  
  


"She helped me on my first year when I was lost, wandering in the castle. I like to explore its secrets and I've discovered after a while the ghosts knows loads of useful information, is good to chat with them from time to time."

  
  


Holly hummed while Tom bragged about some hidden passageways he knew of while they descended the staircase, he was ahead of her a few steps. Suddenly Tom stopped and turned, he was three stairs under her so Holly was towering him by a slightly difference. He looked up at her. "Were you talking to Chang since you left our common room?" Tom asked with an unreadable expression.

  
  


"Oh no, I was wandering here and there, you know? You aren't the only one who like to explore the castle and discover its secrets." She said proudly, the Felix was fading from her system but she could still feel some of its effects. Tom raised a questioning brow at her.

  
  


"Did you discovered something interesting?"

  
  


"Who knows?" Holly said with a mischievous expression.

  
  


Tom gave a step up, now they eyes were almost even. "Tell me, maybe I can help your search next time." He said with a soft voice.

  
  


Holly pressed her lips together, trying to suppress a smirk but completely failing from doing so. Tom's eyes glanced down her mouth for a moment and he was smirking too. When Holly's voice came out it was in a confidential tone. "I've heard about lots of secret rooms inside Hogwarts, hidden by the founders. They are supposed to have lots of treasures and precious artifacts." She noticed Tom's eyes darkening, his expression became more serious. Holly knew Tom Riddle searched for Slytherin's Chamber for years and probably it wasn't the only place he wanted to unveil.

  
  


"People are looking for them since the first years of Hogwarts' foundation and their search were always unfruitful. What attributes do you possess that makes you think you are able to succeed when lots have failed?" Tom asked with a provocative smirk. He didn't want to diminish her, only tease.

  
  


"The places with better recompenses will be the most dangerous ones and probably heavily guarded by powerful spells or maybe monsters." Holly reached out for Tom's necktie to play with it, like she was adjusting it. He was doing his Prefect duties, so he was using his school robes. Riddle's gaze fixed on her face and Holly noticed when his throat bobbed. "Let's say I'm a magnet for trouble, Tom. Danger finds me even when I try to run away. If there is a person able to stumble by accident near one of these hidden rooms, this person is me. Don't you agree?"

  
  


Tom didn't answer, he cupped Holly's face between his hands and pulled her face to seal her lips into his own.

  
  


Holly felt the touch of his soft lips brushing hers and quickly put her hands on his chest, but instead of shoving him away, she tugged on his clothes and pulled him closer, holding firmly. He put a hand on the nape of her neck and deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue inside her parted lips. The witch eagerly accepted him, letting herself indulge under his touch, kissing him was like getting a taste from the forbidden fruit.

It was one of her deepest denials that the Tom Riddle from the Diary was the first crush she had and was the first time she ever thought about kissing a boy. It was one of the few things she never revealed to anyone, even Hermione.

  
  


How Holly felt when kissing Draco or Cedric were the mere flames of a candle in comparison with Tom's Fiendfyre. She felt more alive than ever, his kiss was intense, demanding and possessive, he was the one dictating their rhythm and Holly didn't hate his dominance over her, quite the opposite. Where their skins connected she felt a delicious warmness like it never happened before, her body reacted differently under his touch, it was much better than what she experienced with Cedric or Draco.

  
  


Their kiss was hungry and passionate, matching perfectly with each other. Holly's heart was hammering inside her ribcage, thrilled by the danger it was kissing Tom Riddle. However, she wasn't feeling intimidated at all by him, but strangely safe, welcomed and protected. The only thing she wanted at the moment was to melt into his arms, left completely at his mercy.

  
  


Tom interrupted the kiss briefly, just to pull her lower lip between his teeth, drawing a sigh from Holly. When he sucked it, she mewled and he cursed under his breath before muffling her voice, kissing her deeply again. Now he was holding her waist with one hand and the back of her neck with the other. Holly was fully supporting herself on him, her arms around his neck, disgruntling his hair with her hands every time their passion escalated a little more, they both barely containing themselves.

  
  


Their kiss started aggressive and maybe a little desperate from both sides, but as Holly wasn't resisting his assertiveness over her, their flames settled down a little and the kiss turned out to be slower and sweeter, yet still intense. Holly was in paradise.

  
  


After a little while she noticed they weren't on their foot anymore, Holly was now sitting on the stairs and Tom was looming over her, one palm on the nape of her neck and the other supporting himself on a stair, near her waist. He was struggling to maintain a 'respectful' distance over her and she was aware of his excitement by his heavy breathing. If they pressed their bodies together, Holly knew she would be able to feel his hardness. Tom desired her just like she desired him. Her knickers were drenched, her body consumed by lust, wanting him more than anything.

  
  


Tom interrupted their kiss so he could use his mouth to explore a little more of her. His lips brushed her cheek and jaw. She sighed when his tongue lapped her throat and he sucked her there weakly.

  
  


"Oh god!" Holly breathed out near his ear when his teeth scrapped her skin and he nibbled her under the jaw.

  
  


She felt a smirk forming in his lips. "Just 'Tom' is fine, Holly." Before she could make a snarky reply to his ridiculous comment he bit her again, a little more fiercely, and this time she gasped his name. He hummed, hearing it coming out so sweetly from her lips. "Yes, just like this." This time he wasn't able to control himself and his bite was more painful than pleasant. Holly hissed in complaint and he quickly stopped. "Sorry." He whispered near her ear, not sounding sorry at all. He kissed the place apologetically and lapped slowly on it. It was so delicious that she had to bit her lip to suppress a moan, squirming a little under him, her nails dipping on his back, only barred by the layers of clothes he had. If not, she would've draw a small amount of blood from his pale skin.

  
  


Holly had no idea how much time passed, completely lost under Tom's caresses. It took her a little by surprise that Tom Riddle wasn't a selfish lover. He seemed genuinely satisfied about making Holly feel good, even though they were mostly kissing and cuddling. Holly was aware Tom Riddle never liked his common muggle name, but he appeared to enjoy a lot when Holly was the one saying it and didn't stop teasing her to say it again and again.

  
  


Holly was amused by the sensation of his hair and buried her fingers on his scalp, loving even more how wild he could become when she ruffled and pulled his dark locks. They both were liking to provoke the other into the edge, watching the struggle they made to contain themselves. Holly and Tom acting like under a spell none of them had any control over, completely intoxicated by it.

  
  


Holly wanted more of Tom Riddle, to take her own time exploring and discovering his body and she also wanted to see and feel him in his bare skin. She wanted to left all her problems behind and be completely lost in his arms. Holly had no idea how much time it passed, only that wasn't enough.

  
  


Tom was kissing her collarbone when a sudden realization crashed over Holly like a bucket of icy water.

  
  


Time.

  
  


Her mind suddenly became clear and a torrent of emotions and guilty feelings invaded her. How could she let herself being carried away by lust and desire after everything she sacrificed coming back into the past to stop Tom Riddle from becoming a Dark Wizard? A task that surely wouldn't be complete by Holly snogging her arch enemy, right?

  
  


It didn't matter he was an arch enemy who was oblivious about all the potential he had to destroy the lives of lots of people. Holly felt so confused she wanted to cry.

  
  


Holly put her hands over his shoulders and pushed Tom away, abruptly. He stopped his ministrations to stare quizzically at her. His expression changed to concern when he saw horror in her eyes. She shoved him away and stood up quickly, descending the remaining stairs with all the hurry she had and then running towards the dungeons as fast as she could.

  
  


But Tom was faster and reached Holly before the entrance of the Common Room. He hold her by her wrist and made her look up at him.

  
  


"Holly? What happened? Did I do something wrong?" Tom looked extremely confused and preoccupied.

  
  


Holly's breath was uneven and she was at a loss of words. Tom put his hands over her shoulders and squeezed them a little, trying to tranquilize her. She tried to flee, but he held her in place.

  
  


"Holly, you need to calm down," Tom said almost in a whisper, his cheeks tinged in pink by the physical labor, his hair a little disgruntled, mostly of it was Holly's fault. "Calm down, please," She struggled and he pressed her firmly against the wall. "Holly, stop!" He said in a low tone with gritted teeth and then let out a sigh of frustration. "If you enter your room like that, in panic, they will think I attacked you or something."

  
  


"Oh," She stopped her struggle, feeling ashamed for how she reacted. "I'm sorry, Tom. We shouldn't have– _That_ shouldn't have happened. It was a mistake–"

  
  


Tom narrowed his eyes at her and gave her instructions to make her breath even again, breathing deeply and slowly, in and out. " Holly, what happened? Are you afraid of me?" He asked only after she calmed down a little.

  
  


"No," She said hesitantly and then stared down, feeling the burn of tears behind her eyes, gathering all her strength to not cry in front of him.

  
  


"You are lying," He stated calmly. "Did I've frightened you there? I thought you were liking it–"

  
  


"No," She interrupted his train of thought. "It wasn't that," She bit the inside of her cheek and averted her gaze. "But what happened between us shall never happen again, it was a mistake."

  
  


"A mistake?" Tom parroted and she only nodded. His expression was dark and she had no idea if he was angered or just disappointed. "Why are you scared of me, then? I already apologized about the day after Tranfiguration Class–"

  
  


"I know!" Holly cut him off again. "I'm sorry, it wasn't about that either, you wouldn't understand!"

  
  


He took a moment examining her features. "Is this about something that happened in your past?" Her eyes widened, giving away her answer. "Yes? I see..." Holly kept her mouth shut and Tom took a moment analyzing the situation, gathering in his mind all few information he had about Holly's past. "Does this have any relation with someone who made you any harm?"

  
  


Holly choked out a sob and struggled with herself, but she couldn't stop the tears from falling. She hid her face behind her hands, trying to make it stop.

  
  


Tom's first impulse was to embrace and try to comfort the tiny witch in front of him, but he gave up on that idea after a second thought, considering she was afraid of being hurt by him despite the fact they were so near a few moments ago.

  
  


"I'm not gonna hurt you, don't worry about it." He extended his arm, offering his handkerchief to her. She took it after a while, still sobbing. "I don't know what to do or say to make you feel better, you tell me what you want." Tom wasn't the best person to console someone and had no idea about how to proceed from now on.

  
  


"Can we pretend nothing happened between us?" Holly stared up at him and he looked hurt for a spare of a second. He furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his jaw. "We still can be friends, can't we?" She quickly add, having the bad feeling he was boiling in anger.

  
  


Tom stood up there looking deeply in thought. After a moment he opened a smirk at her that didn't reach his eyes. "If it's your wish, I'll do my best, then."

  
  


With a flick of his wand, Tom adjusted his and Holly's clothes and their wreckage of hair. Holly took some deep breaths and when she felt better, they both entered the Slytherin common room. The short walk until they reached the dormitories was awkward, none of them shared any words or glances.

  
  


Before Holly entered her room she broke the silence. "Here, thank you." She said extending her arm to give back his handkerchief after she used a clean spell on it.

  
  


He hesitated a moment before taking it. "Good night Holly, see you tomorrow." His voice was gentle, but he took the handkerchief from her hands without even looking at her face, turning his back at her quickly to enter the boys' dormitory.

  
  


When Holly set a foot inside her room, Lucretia was the only one awaken, reading a book on her bed. She smiled at Holly and then frowned, seeing her nose, eyes and lips slightly red. The witch patted her bed so Holly could sit down and talk to her.

  
  


As soon as she sat on Lucretia's bed, the other witch cast some privacy spells before they could chat. "What happened Holly? Are you alright?"

  
  


Holly nodded reassuringly. "I took a sip from the Felix Felicis to explore the castle, but I think it had some counter reactions on me after the effects ceased, making me remember lots of bad things from my past." She half-lied, still feeling very embarrassed about everything that happened between her and Tom. Not just the kiss, but also her panic attack.

  
  


Lucretia opened an affectionate smile at her and hugged Holly tightly. "You can sleep in my bed today if you want. You look sad, I don't like seeing you like this.

  
  


Holly felt her face flushing a little, remembering that sometimes after nightmares Hermione shared a bed with her to make her sleep more easily. She gave Lucretia a shy smirk. "Thanks, I'll take a shower first."

  
  


In the bathroom, Holly took off her clothes and stared at her reflection in the mirror. Tom Riddle marked her with some hickeys on her collarbone and on the crook of her neck. She was sure he made them on purpose, all of them in strategic places that she could easily hide behind her uniform. She wanted to punch him on his face but at the same time she couldn't help herself from laughing at it. He was so immature.

  
  


Her happiness was replaced by guilty and a pang on her chest. As much as she loved the moment they shared together just now, kissing and cuddling, Tom Riddle still had all the potential to turn himself into Voldemort. She couldn't nourish herself with romantic feelings for him. She had an important mission to accomplish and she knew him well enough to know he could manipulate her and then break her heart into small little pieces. She couldn't let herself falling into a trap that could lead into tragic consequences.

  
  


Holly had to be strong and shield her heart from now on against the influence of Tom Riddle.

(An example of a snake when it's close to shed skin )

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I planned to post this chapter so much sooner, but I had some changes of heart while writing it and had to rewrite some parts. I hope this version end to be the best one. :3
> 
> I don't know when I'll update the next chapter, I'm more inclined at the moment to write Female Snape's stories, but my inspiration is a box full of surprises and it may happen for the next update to happen sooner than later.
> 
> Thanks for reading my fic, I wish you all stay safe and healthy!
> 
> Please check my other stories! <3 
> 
> Sirius Black x Fem Snape  
> [The Animagus' Bride](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25884748/chapters/62899237)
> 
> Prequel from 'Animagus' Bride'  
> [The Half-blood Fairy Prince(ss) Titania](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26577811/chapters/64796365)
> 
> Sirius Black x Fem Snape x Remus Lupin (This is a smut I made to test waters. It's a threesome, only read if you are +18 and like this type of content. :3 )  
> [The Bet](https://archiveofourown.org/works/26524294)
> 
> [Follow me on Tumblr](https://chausiemorgan.tumblr.com/)


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